Hatachi
by Moon Bunny
Summary: It all begins to change on Usagi's 20th birthday, when Usagi officially becomes an adult, and unofficially a queen. Foisted with more responsibilities (an internship, a crown, and a new enemy) how will Usagi actually become a queen? A coming of age, Crystal Tokyo fic.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Hatachi

Summary: It all begins to change on Usagi's 20th birthday, when Usagi officially becomes an adult, and unofficially a queen. Foisted with more responsibilities (an internship, a crown, and a new enemy) how will Usagi actually become a queen? A coming of age, Crystal Tokyo fic.

Pairings: Usagi/Mamoru, Haruka/Michiru

A/N: So I've been sitting on this doc for an incredibly long time. Somewhere in there I got terrified it was terrible and abandoned it and now I have taken a leap of faith. So, I hope that you enjoy this story! I am looking for a highly detailed beta who will be critical but still encouraging of this doc if you want too, give me a pm if you're interested. Thanks to TRP and RPQ for looking this over beforehand.

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There were distinct differences between Crystal Tokyo and Tokyo of the 20th Century, not just the striking crystalline structures that looked like they were grown out of the ground like some geode that humans lived in. She could smell the differences. Old Tokyo was faint whiffs of silly perfume, the mix of flowers, trash, automobiles and the distinct smell of the sea. It wasn't bad but it was clearly distinct. She'd loved the sea winds fresh and sweet cherry blossoms the intermix of something so human and real -manufacturing, transportation, mechanical creation the potential all wrapped together in this busy package.

And, Crystal Tokyo smelled...sterile. The cleanest clean that there could be. IT did feel easier here, each breath lighter, .but it felt like it was missing something. Something wild and free and constructed.

"Usagi, welcome home!" She spun on the little open garden she had appeared in- taken out of her thoughts to Neo-Queen Serenity, and King Endymion on her arm.

She hadn't been called Usagi properly in far to long, and she grinned and ran right into her mother's arms.

"Oh my, you've grown!" She exclaimed, touching her face and pink pigtails. Small Lady swatted her away playfully, "Moooooom…"

"You've missed me, don't you lie." The royal teased, brushing her pink hair out of her eyes. "Oh, that school uniform is so cute, how was your trip?"

Chibi Usa looked down, the blue and whites of Juuban Elementary still around her compared to the silvery whites of expensive fabric that her mother was wearing, and her father's expensive suits.

She suddenly felt the whisk across time, and she looked behind her expecting to see the much younger version of her mother, dressed in those similar colors and simple shoes, and a dad that wore jeans even if he wasn't her dad yet but and saw nothing but the palace and it was disjointing.

Chibi Usagi frowned. "I…"

Her father placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Time shock is normal, Usagi...it's hard to come back. You've been gone a long time. We've missed you dearly."

"You both were there."

"That was a long, long time ago for us sweetheart, why don't you refresh our memories over some cookies and tea?"

"Tea?"

"Setsuna is invited, must be proper. Unless you have a few Ramune sodas stashed in that bag because…"

"Those are mine."

The Neo Queen laughed, "Please let your dear old mother get at least a single sip?"

She looked like she was thinking about it, and the stern voice of her father "Usagi..."

She harrumphed with a nod. "Okay, okay, fine. How were things while I was gone?"

They started walking through the gardens back to the palace, at a leisurely pace. "They were the same as they've been for a while, quiet, steady, normal complaints, nothing you aren't extraordinarily familiar with at this point."

"It is boring here. Why can't I stay back there longer? I could keep training, get stronger..."

"No." Both the King and Queen stated at the same time, with a glance at one another. Galaxia had been a hellish year.

"But...mom" The young girls face scrunched up trying to remember details of history class " isn't that when you touched the cauldron?"

The Neo Queen looked surprised at the wording as if she hadn't heard it referred that way in a long time, or thought about it quite like that. Of course, it was something she knew about. That weird praising she sometimes heard was something Endymion called. 'Epithets of the Neo-Queen,' in a teasing tone to her.

She paused as if debating her wording.

"That's not something you...it just happened that way."

"Mom, I met you- no offense but I don't think you did anything on purpose."

"You're probably right...and for the record, I'm sorry."

"What, why?" Bewildered Usagi looked up at Serenity, who looked so solemn from her welcome just a few minutes ago.

"Because...now that I'm older- I know that you still needed a mom, and I just wasn't that back then. And I feel like...I could have done things differently for you, been nicer...warmer somehow."

"I liked you. Teenager you. Anyway."

"And now?"

Usagi shrugged, sort of ambivalent teenager thoughts being expressed "I guess you're okay."

"Ouch, well there goes my heart, with that pink sugar attack" The neo queen quipped, and Usagi glared "You know that works now right?"

The Neo Queen pulled her tight to her side while they were still walking "Well, I'm still not done doting on you, I've missed you for far too long. Hotaru has been waiting for you to come back, to remember this."

They walked with chatter before entering a small room with a low table, tea and food already prepared. Usagi dropped her bag in the corner before taking a seat at the table, grabbing a cookie and shoving it into her mouth.

"Where's Puu?"

"Usagi, don't talk and eat at the same time, please," Endymion mentioned and she sighed, chewing through her cookie grumbling a little.

Serenity looked around for a moment thinking "Hm, I think she'll be by in a few...she can't be late and I know she knows you're back.

Usagi didn't seem concerned, "Well, mom, I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"I...don't get it. I saw you then, and I got to know you and I don't see how you became queen. It doesn't...make sense to me. It… you were almost 16, and what, you became queen at 21? That's 5 years, and I just...I don't see it."

"Well, to be fair none of us saw it in me then."

"Yeah, but how? What changed?"

Serenity glanced over at Endymion as if trying to figure out what to say, and he nodded some encouragement as if she should just start talking.

"I didn't want to, up until the moment it happened, even after it happened really. But…"

"Mom, as much as you want to talk about it...can...you tell me what changed? What made you want this? Because…" She trailed off, playing with a cookie sort of with a frown.

"Small Lady Serenity, your feelings, they're normal and very real. And, I think...while I wanted you to learn and have friends...these thoughts are part of it- where we came from is important too. And the path wasn't one I just decided I wanted one day. There was definitely external pressure for that."

"Really?"

"Yes Really. I…You were born into this role...and I wasn't- at least this time around, and the freedom that comes with that is invaluable. Getting you back to the 20th Century for a long as I could was a wish of mine."

Young Usagi nodded, "I learned a lot… Mom, can you tell me what happened to you?"

"That is a long, long story that began the day after my 20th birthday."

"I want to hear it - please?"

"The story starts with me, about to turn 20 year old me, I guess. I was very, very in denial about a little thing called destiny, or the future I already knew about thanks to a certain time-traveling princess from the future..."

* * *

TWENTIETH CENTURY - JUNE 20th

"Usagi-chan, you only turn 20 ONCE." Minako declared almost standing, hand out with one finger out for emphasis. "Seriously, your birthday: go BIG!"

Usagi tapped the side of her milkshake courtesy of Motoki, leaning back in the booth. "I knoooooow, but like how big is too big?"

Minako shrugged "I think getting the three lights back here for a "reunion tour" " She used air quotes for that part "might be a little much…"

"But, seeing them again would be nice, wouldn't it? Don't you miss them sometimes?"

"Usagi, I'm throwing out impossible…"

Usagi stuck out her tongue "I know, but like I wonder how they're doing, and it would be nice for a letter or something, you know every once in a while...I get their probably busy building a planet or whatever it is they do."

"Bikini dancing."

Usagi snorted. "Or that but anyway, back to the topic at hand- my birthday!"

"You girls need anything?" Motoki popped by, picking up Usagi's empty milkshake wordlessly and handing her another one. "Your break ends in 20 minutes."

"I know, I know, but we're discussing my birthday plans. Motoki what should I do?"

"At the end of June, in a couple of weeks right?"

"Yep. June 30th!"

"Sounds like you'll need plenty of ice cream, and you're turning 20."

"Yup."

"Booze is required."

"What else though?"

"Karaoke?"

"YES!" Minako cheered.

"I'm assuming Mamoru is going?"

"Of course, you're invited too."

"Oh am I?"

"Matoki-kun, without this place where would I spend my aimless days?" Usagi gave him a wink. "This place is like a second home."

Minako pointed at the floor mouthing 'command center' and Usagi rolled her eyes. Motoki looked at them quizzically but didn't question it before excusing himself and Usagi went back to her milkshake as he walked off again.

"So, evening right?" Minako prompted.

"Yeah, sure. My birthday is on a Thursday but Friday evening would be perfect. Where should we?"

"Well, Hikawa Shrine is usually the go to…"

"But after Rei's party that was a little more... "

"That was fun and you know it. "

"There was fire. The fire department came."

Minako shrugged as if this hadn't been a big deal even though Rei was still being mercilessly teased for it. "Its Rei, we couldn't have expected less. Besides, Makoto got a date. Everything was fine. Ami was there, she could have put it out in a second."

"There is still a singed spot on the front steps. You stand on it just to make her mad. And Makoto's date ended like most of them do, in disappointment and stress baking."

"Getting her mad is fun. This time around she gets less alcohol, you get more. Birthday rules. Besides Makoto stress baking is a benefit for the rest of us."

"I get drunk looking at alcohol. Minako you of all people know this."

"You only turn 20 once!" She proclaimed for a second time.

A kid in the background was kicking a game as it played the game end tone and Usagi turned towards it watching him for a second debating if what she was about to say was a good idea. "I don't know what I want, I haven't been 20 before."

"I could plan it! I could do all of it! Minako party planner to the rescue!"

Usagi grinned, "Would you? Would you Would you?"

"Of course I'll give it my all!" She said so loudly that the patrons of the arcade turned towards her. Minako gave a sailor V sign and a wink towards Usagi. She broke her pose, "I should let you get back to work. Thanks for the free milkshake."

"When will I see you again?"

"I'll stop by in a couple days for lunch, and updates okay?"

"Perfect."

* * *

"お誕生日おめでとう!" (Happy Birthday!)

Usagi gasped as her blindfold was removed, staring up at Rei's intricate calligraphy written across a banner and affixed to the front of the temple, the golden glitter borders and pink writing definitely not a Rei touch but surely done out of love.

It was the first detail of many: Minako had outdone herself.

There were lights everywhere. Fairy, soft lights, On the ground, hanging from strings, around posts, on the doors. If a light could be put there, the soft purples, pinks, and whites were around, like little ambient fireflies. Around drinks, maybe even inside drinks, there was so many it was sort of dizzying, like standing in space.

Music, hyper pulse-beat music blared far too loud for the temple and bouncing people where everywhere, on the lawn, on the steps, with drinks, chattering laughing silly voices.

She was clearly late to her own party. No wonder Mamoru had been tapping his feet and fidgeting at their apartment door prior to them leaving. He hated being late.

The thought vanished as quickly as it came, and she left Mamoru's side, hugging guests. There was Naru with Unimo right by her side, they were whispering to each other animatedly but she couldn't hear over the loud music. There was so many people around her now, people from school, neighbors, Mamoru's friends, just chatting well wishes, blurs of faces and friends.

Someone pushed a drink into her hand.

She drank it without hesitation, the burning sweet lightheadedness came just a few moments after and she squealed turning in her small dress and was lost in the music and the enjoyment of her life.

It whirled by so fast, and she found herself being settled into bed some long time later, Mamoru carefully placing her into the bed, or was that Tuxedo Kamen, she was too drunk to tell, before curling up next to her.

The dreaded alarm had gone off at 5 am. It could have been twenty minutes, or a few hours, Usagi really couldn't tell. With the late night before Mamoru Chiba groaned, slamming the alarm clock (a habit he picked up after moving in with Usagi). Usagi curled into his bare chest not even opening an eye to the world, but clearly aware their time together for the night was coming to an end- and still pretty hung over. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, playing with strands of her long blonde hair, eyes drifting closed, only for the alarm to take him out of slumber a few minutes later. Why did he agree to pick up this hospital shift? He separated himself from her, kissing her forehead then going about his morning routine to disappear to work.

She dozed until almost noon, resting off the delirium before carefully going to nurse a headache and now empty stomach.

Their apartment, usually kept clean, orderly and neat by Mamoru's almost phobia of clutter had been transformed with splashes of color, by presents pushed aside to the corner of the room, little flecks of multicolored paper still lying about on the floor. The group of them- just the Senshi, her closest friends returned here after the rest of the party had dispersed. With more drinking, of course.

Her mind flashed to the party the night before, standing over ridiculously intricate (and delicious) bunny birthday cake in pinks and gold leaf accents because apparently, you could eat that. Besides, Kino, Makoto was going to make something lavish for Usagi, the aspiring chef always was spoiling her. All of her friends did, really.

Usagi smiled, the cake box on the kitchen counter leftovers packed neatly away. She opened the box and cut herself a piece of a cake, a perfect hangover cure. Next to them, was the pans that Makoto had bought her for Mamoru and her kitchen, and Usagi remembered the compliments she'd received for working so hard to improve her cooking. Besides, Makoto had teased the night before, when she did come over to teach Usagi a new dish, they'd have nice cookware to do it with, and not Mamoru's 'bachelor pans.' She had just put the kettle for some morning tea and noticed the little note to nurse her headache with two Advil and a cup of water on the counter. She jumped, dropping her cake, "Hey-one minute!"

She cleaned up the cake quickly, grabbed herself another generous slice and raced to the door to peek through the peephole, to see the dark eyes of the time guardian staring back at her. She opened the door, cautiously.

Setsuna was impeccable. Dressed in a maroon business suit with a complimentary cream top, dark jade hair flowing behind her. Neat and prepared for the day as ever. In one hand, balanced carefully was a dark wooden box, beautifully polished. Usagi looked down at her crumpled party dress that she hadn't even changed out of, to straighten it out subconsciously while greeting her "Morning Setsuna, what can I do for you? Did you forget something? I...I haven't even cleaned yet."

Thin berry lips formed a soft smile, clearly noticing the cake in hand and that she hadn't changed clothes with no comment "No, I did not. Unfortunately, I'm here on business. Can I come in?."

"Sure, of course. You could have called you know. " She picked up some pink tissue paper that was still on the grey modern couch after before offering her a seat.

Setsuna shook her head. "I think it is better to speak in person when the time is right."

After placing down the box she'd brought with her, Setsuna took a glance at the realistic floating globe of the moon that was sitting on the coffee table between them then carefully picked it up, It had a soft light on the inside to look as if it was emitting moonlight. "Ami's taste in gifts is so interesting. The detail of topography of the moon kingdom she added to the globe was such a thoughtful thing to do."

Usagi smiled, "It's beautiful, yes, but you looked at that last night..." Usagi frowned. "Is there something going on? Is there a new enemy?" Usagi shifted on her feet nervously.

Setsuna shook her head. "No, Not...today. But, there has been an important development." Setsuna sat the globe back down to float on its little crystalline stand, to put her full attention towards Usagi.

"And what might that be?" Setsuna gestured for Usagi to sit, which she did at the other end of the couch facing Setsuna.

"You're an adult, now."

The blonde woman paused, her mind flashing to last night. Usagi remembered Luna blathering on about having more responsibilities now that she was older. Even Michiru commented that Luna was being a killjoy.

"What are you getting at?" Usagi asked cautiously, already not liking where this was going.

"You're a queen now." Setsuna's face was even, her voice calm, demeanor serious, controlled. Usagi laughed aloud anyway. Her laughter faded into awkward silence as Setsuna stared at her with that unshakable gaze.

"You can't be serious."

"I am. It is time you learn."

Usagi opened her mouth to respond, then stopped, and just shook her head.

Setsuna picked the box off the coffee table and handed it to Usagi, "This is for you."

The box was a deep mahogany color, so well polished Usagi could see her shocked expression reflected in the glaze. It was very heavy. Usagi carefully took of the lid, to reveal two crowns, one nestled in the other sitting on top of a black velvet material on the inside. Usagi froze, staring at the shining crystalline and silver crowns shining at her.

"Usagi?" Setsuna paused, looking at the woman in front of her, whose reaction seemed to be teetering between many different emotions. "These were your mother's."

Usagi's voice was so quiet, Setsuna had to strain to hear it: "You don't understand...just yesterday I wished that everything would stay the same, and you're here telling me that everything will be fundamentally different between all of us?"

Setsuna's face softened. "Usagi, you've always been the leader. It is just who you are."

"No, no it isn't. Setsuna, I can't." Usagi placed the box on the table, closing the lid and pushing it away from her. "Besides Japan has a fully functioning government. Even I know that. "

Setsuna shook her head. "Not for others, just yet. But for us, and for yourself…"

"Maybe I'm happy the way I am?" Usagi asked into the air.

Setsuna sighed, "Usagi, there is more."

"What might that be? Proclaiming me Queen isn't enough for one day?" Usagi said in a flustered rush.

Setsuna stayed completely still to allow Usagi to process, which with the silence, Usagi continued to do. "Sorry, I just...this is unexpected. I don't...it is complicated." It fell back into silence as Usagi averted her gaze. "I just...what else is there to tell me?"

"We got you an internship…" She paused for emphasis "With Senator Hino."

Usagi eyes went wide while being told she would be queen was something she'd been pushing away but knew was coming since the day she saw her future daughter's home. But being foisted a job was an entirely unexpected development. Usagi blurted, "Rei hates her father."

"It was a point of discussion, yes. Persuasion worked."

"What did you do? And who is we? You and Luna?"

"Haruka and Michiru donated a substantial amount to the temple, and there may have been a glimpse of the future involved."

"May?"

"It is a matter of ...national security?"

"Which nation?"

"To be determined."

"Setsuna!"

"Nonetheless, you start next week."

Usagi slumped forward, "Please, You can't be serious. I already have a job, I work at the arcade and I have my event photography -"

"Not anymore." Setsuna paused, "I'm...you know you must transition right? That this will come regardless of the path you choose. Please, it will be easier this way. You can ignore me, all of us really, but it won't stop the passage of time."

Usagi stared at the crowns and the cake sitting next to each other and didn't look Setsuna in the eyes. "I just...this...a job, seriously?"

"I'm serious enough to take you shopping. Can't have you going to your new job without some proper attire."

"Setsuna." Usagi crossed her arms with a glare, but a tiny bit of a smile nonetheless.

"Your Highness, consider it a scout's honor."

Usagi's face faltered again at the address. "I will get you back one day for this."

"I'll see it coming. Go get dressed, shopping awaits."

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PLEASE REVIEW


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Out of the first three chapters this one is the weakest, chapter two things start to pick up. I am so anxious about this story, and I really hope you enjoy. Still looking for a critical eye for this story to help the writing along a bit, if you want to give me a pm. Bonus is that you have access to the 60+ pages of the story already written, minus is that it is a big giant mess. I just couldn't sit on this chapter any longer guys. Enjoy!

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The awkward silence permeated the living room between Setsuna and Usagi for a moment, before Usagi spring up and hurriedly entered the refuge of her bedroom just to get out of there. She leaned her head against the closed door. It was Setsuna's eyes that startled her the most, the little bits of compassion that she could read, the way she was being so blunt and yet so careful. Allowing some banter in her seriousness. _Why had she agreed? Why was she chatting and agreeing to any of this? Why were they talking like this? Why -_

"Usagi, do you mind if I turn on the TV?"

"Uhh-No, go for it!" She looked around, unsure how long she'd been lost in her thoughts bed still unmade and she hadn't even started getting dressed. She started to go through her closet, letting the noise from the TV distract herself from her own thoughts. It sounded like some benign talk show a young Japanese man animatedly arguing about nothing in particular. His voice washed over her, details of pop star scandals as they gasped and chatted, and she let her shoulders relax for a moment.

_Just Tokyo, everything was still the same, she was okay,_ she repeated internally to herself. She grabbed a casual blue summer dress and gold sandals and picked a pair of small earrings off the side table. She paused after there was some laughter on the TV and then poked her head out of the bedroom. "I didn't think you'd like that sort of thing?" Usagi asked as the man started on some insistence about train etiquette.

"It's noise." She stated simply, tearing her eyes from the screen which she was watching far too closely.

Usagi raised an eyebrow, not buying the excuse, especially with the pause.

Setsuna shook her head. "It is just a feeling."

"Setsuna, you and I both know your feelings mean something more." Usagi's heart sank, deeper than it had just minutes before. Setsuna was warning her in the only way she could. This was _now_.

Hotaru had talked to her about this once (more to Chibi Usa, but she'd been around) the way Setsuna did things. How she didn't say the future directly but she left the umbrella by the door when it would rain that day, even if the forecast had called for clear skies. How she'd remind her to take an extra lunch only on the days Chibi Usa left hers at home. All the Outer Senshi had some form of premonition, Hotaru had nightmares, Haruka felt disturbances in the wind, Michiru had the talisman mirror, and Setsuna had access to time itself. And while she never broke her vow, she would do tiny little things, whispers to be careful, a shake of her head. A moment on a TV show.

_How was this important?_

"When I figure it out, you'll be the first to know." Usagi hadn't said anything, but her face and silence must have been more than enough. Usagi didn't believe her.

Usagi stared at the screen as well, the roundtable discussion entirely too boring and so stereotypical day time Japanese TV. "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see." Was the simple reply as Usagi gathered her keys and a small black bag. "We'll shop for a few hours and meet Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru for late brunch if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, that would be wonderful. I need to thank them and tell them I can make it to the concert…" Usagi trailed off.

Usagi had never been shopping with Setsuna, who clearly had an eye for timeless classics. Truthfully the stores they were going to weren't in her normal budget or interest. Setsuna shopping style was the exact opposite of her most likely shopping partner, Minako. Minako would exuberantly enter a store, filling up her arms (and Usagi's) with any and every outfit that looked remotely interesting. Anything that caught her eye really, even some she thought were terrible but wanted to see what they looked like _just in case_ and they'd go into the changing room and spend hours modeling for each other. They'd then make piles of clothes into 'definitely no's' 'maybes' and 'yes absolutely.' There were the obligatory pictures of the things that were glamorous and they couldn't afford, the laughing at the silly outfits that just were _no's_, and the things that almost fit and playing with seams to see if it could be altered to be just _perfect_ even though Minako nor Usagi would actually bother doing such a thing. Then the yes pile would be pared down into the two or three outfits they could actually afford to buy, with great debate about which ones would be the perfect one to buy. It was an all-day affair and they had such fun doing it.

In contrast, Setsuna was a woman on a mission.

Setsuna walked into a store and knew exactly where she was going. She'd touch fabrics, look at cuts and colors, sometimes hold a blazer or a skirt up to Usagi's body and shake her head. While Usagi and Minako talked endlessly about _everything_, Setsuna kept her comments more to the clothes themselves, sometimes with a random fact about a designer or fabric. After rows of looking she'd pause, nod and hand Usagi a blazer or a silk top, sometimes a coordinated set. She'd nod.

These types of stores were the ones with the specialized attendants, but Setsuna shook them off explaining they would fetch them for any requested alterations when the time came to pay. Usagi blushed with how formal and how expensive this was, and how Setsuna handled herself like this was something she did every single day.

Occasionally Setsuna would stop, seeing something in a size for Michiru or Haruka, and ask Usagi's opinion on it (though she didn't for Usagi's clothes, just handing them over wordlessly).

After a bit more clothing talk, Usagi finally gave in. "So, why get me into this internship? What...what's the _purpose?"_

Setsuna looked up from the clothes, "It's not just a simple mission, Usagi. It's about possibilities."

"I… What if I don't want any of them?"

Setsuna handed over a navy blue blazer and skirt set. "You and I both know what you want isn't what will keep this world together. And when push comes to shove, you _will_ fight for this world."

"Fighting is different than leading," Usagi stated, "That- I just...it just _happens_. Whatever is next… it isn't an adrenaline rushed reaction."

"When your wisdom pokes through, I know that you are well on your way."

Usagi frowned, "Observation isn't wisdom."

"No. But, you think, I especially, but most of us really, look through you. That, we see this future self and this past self, but not the current woman standing right in front of me."

"Well, none of you seem to acknowledge what I want."

"That is a fair statement. And, if I could, I really would let you be this Usagi Tsukino. But, I know you've been preparing and thinking. I know that your hesitancy is that you understand what we are asking of you."

"There really isn't any more time for me is there?"

"Your transition will be sudden. I can't say any more."

It fell into silence, the soft music of the store the only distraction. Usagi idly looked at clothes, not knowing what to buy, when all of it looked so formal. So entirely not her. She felt alien. And _alone. _She wanted Mamoru. She went to reach for her phone but Setsuna then handed her an armful of clothes. "There, I think we're done."

Usagi was putting away the new outfits that Setsuna had forced upon her when she heard the key to her apartment turn.

"Welcome home, Mamo-chan" Usagi called out, hanging up the last of the outfits. Mamoru placed down his bag, walking into the bedroom before the wooden box caught his eye. He opened it carefully, staring at the nested crowns sitting inside. She stepped up next to him and slowly closed the box wordlessly. He watched her with this deep expression.

Usagi shook her head, but still didn't say anything.

Mamoru sighed running a hand through his hair, "Usagi...why are there crowns in the bedroom?"

"Oh, Setsuna came by today and declared me Queen, King Chiba." Her tone was relaxed, but Mamoru could see the body language. He didn't need to be an empath to know her feelings. The way she was a tense, standing on her toes, her shoulders back with that determined stance she got before battle. Usagi was unhappy. Very unhappy.

"You've got to be kidding."

"I am not." The resolve she had to hold it together fell apart. The tears started to spring towards her eyes and she took a step towards him, not caring he was still in his dirty hospital scrubs or hadn't showered. She needed him. Right now.

"Usako" Mamoru pulled her into a hug, close to his chest. "They only want the best for you."

"Why can't I be like my mom? She has a perfectly happy life has a housewife, raised her kids, with her little hobbies on the side. Is that so bad?"

"No, of course not. Usagi, we've talked about this."

"And until this morning I was perfectly content just doing my thing."

"Setsuna wouldn't push you unless it was needed."

"That doesn't mean it is what I want."

"What do you want?"

"I don't _know_! But it isn't this!" She bit her lip, hands crunching the cotton fabric of his shirt, she furrowed her brow. "I like my little photography business, and working at the Arcade. I just...What do _you feel_ about this? About being King Endymion of Crystal Tokyo? Of reclaiming the lost throne of Elysian and I _don't even know_" She threw her hands up in the air.

"Intensely uncomfortable." He stated, sitting down on the bed, and guiding her next to him. She leaned into his side, after a moment of silence he admitted, "Usako, I have no idea how this is going to work."

"Exactly! It's insanity! Like, what are we going to do?"

He snorted. "Print up Crystal Tokyo letterhead and mail all the countries in the world? Please accept us, we're great royalty, I promise."

" Letterhead? Like a corporation?"

"Well, what would you use?"

"Some intricate stationery that is far too expensive, probably. Got to make a good first impression right?"

"That is royal letterhead."

"Oh, well then at least we agree. We'll announce our reign via the mail, I'm sure that everyone will write back something...something..." If it had been anyone else, her language would have devolved into a few choice curse words.

Mamoru continued for a moment, "I mean, I can't imagine, say meeting...Xi Jinping in China, or arguing over Tokyo with Shinzō Abe. Like that seems ridiculous. Just so utterly, surreal."

"Uh, yeah about that? I'm working with Senator Hino. Starting next week."

"How, what?"

"Just...I don't even want to talk about it, the Outer Senshi meddling. Mamo-chan, that's the practical stuff. I mean, I'm just assuming there will be a giant catastrophe and fighting that will make everything just...make sense. But how do you feel? We have to _do_ this, for _the rest of our lives."_

"In...in some ways, we were born for this, don't you think?" He asked.

"No, Serenity and Endymion, _maybe_. But, us to Urban Tokyoites in our apartment? That _isn't_ royal making material. I never was."

He took his hand to her face delicately "I wish...I wish you would believe in yourself sometimes?"

She turned away with a scowl. "So, you think you can do this? That your perfectly capable and that you know how to handle an entire planet of people ?"

"God, no Usagi. I…"

"You what?"

His eyes locked with hers, so intensely "...I think if I'm with you, I will figure it out. I think that the things that feel impossible and so hard can just happen. That magic is real. That _love_ is real."

Usagi's heart started to flutter in her chest, anger turning to an intense awareness of exactly how close her fiance was to her, how they'd shifted to face each other on the bed.

"Really...why's that?" She breathed out softly.

"God, you're beautiful. " And he kissed her soft pink lips, conversation lost for a moment in physical sensation.

"But…I mean this is nice…"Her hands trailed his chest, "but it doesn't answer the question…"

"Usako, if we can create these feelings of love, of peace, of confidence with each other...think about what we can do for the world."

It wasn't a satisfactory answer, but it was very romantic, and her brain decided they could talk about it another day. He was here, and handsome and delightedly warm. And hopefully, he was right.

* * *

This Sunday afternoon was like every other Sunday afternoon, in that the Inner Senshi, two cats, Mamoru and Usagi would get together on the steps of Rei's temple and discuss the past week.

Usually, what happened was that the actual meeting itself was short- They'd talk about a bout of practice in a warehouse that Haruka had acquired, schedule a time for that, agree nothing was happening (as there had been no supernatural activity in four years about), Luna would give some talk about staying on their toes, they'd chat, drink tea and then go to the arcade for some sweets, and discuss wedding planning while Mamoru chatted with Motoki.

It was a good plan. And Usagi really did like seeing everyone together. The last weekend of the month the Outer Senshi would join, but her birthday had been on a Thursday, so that was last week that they'd met together.

She walked up the steps, Luna and Mamoru next to her, Mamoru carrying the newspaper that Luna insisted he'd bring (page 6 she'd said). Usagi had taken a look, and there was a picture of a jumping sailor Venus. USgai had texted ahead to Minako she'd been photographed by Asahi Shinbun, and Minako had just texted back a fire and cat emoji with tears behind it.

At least she was forewarned.

Luna took the lead a few steps and barely got hello's in before she 'ahem'-ed for attention and instructed Mamoru to hand page 6 to Minako for reading aloud.

* * *

Super Don't

By: Ou Hibiki

Occasionally, those who are apt to watch the skyline will catch a glimpse of the famous superhero group, known as the Sailor Senshi. Jumping away, or doing whatever they do. In this time of relative peace, one wonders what _exactly_ is this superhero group up to anyway? This picture was taken just two days before publication, the Senshi of Venus jumping on the skyline. Doing what? I can tell you what she _isn't_ doing- and it's helping the people.

There has been no interference, no word good or bad from this crew since the last 'otherworldly' monster attacked these city streets four years ago. But with all of this power, why aren't they doing more? Are they planning something? They could be protecting normal, everyday people every single day, like a real hero. Like our police officers, or firefighters. No, they just galavant on Tokyo's rooftops on occasion to remind us they still exist.

To the Senshi I write- existence is not enough. Action is required, or are you here for another reason entirely?

* * *

Minako finished reading the article before dropping the paper on Artemis head, who let a cat yelp and stomped toward Ami for comfort. She, of course, picked him up with a glare at Minako who shrugged.

"So, I don't see the big deal, there are hundreds if not thousands of pictures of us online.

"It is the tone," Luna stated simply.

"Well, it's not like you'd let me crime fight like I did back in London before all of this...really started anyway!"

"For good reason, bullets and magic _don't mix well_," Ami stated simply.

"What were you doing out anyway?" Makoto asked, "More important, I _wasn't invited_?"

"I was just...blowing off some steam ok? Boring homework, boring night at home with my parents because they don't want me to move, but they are impossibly annoying and so I decided to go get a late night latte via rooftop."

"Well, some of us, when we go out _don't get caught."_ Rei admonished. "Be more careful. Okay?" Rei snatched the paper off the floor crumpling it into a ball.

"Hey, give me that!" Usagi cried out, and Rei gave her a look and tossed it to her. Usagi then pelted it right back at her.

"Hey! What's that for?!"

"Friday. When Setsuna came over to _give me my new job, Rei."_

"Setsuna did _what?!" _Came the response from the three others who apparently hadn't been informed either. Well, that did make her feel a _tiny_ bit better that not everyone had planned the internship.

"This is the second item of discussion for the day. Setsuna, well, the Outer Senshi and Rei really, arranged for me to have a job."

" Usagi-chan" Makoto started with the soft voice that she used when she was afraid Usagi was in distress, "It can't be that bad? Right, the rest of us work or go to school."

"Look, I'm doing it. I just don't like it."

"But really, Rei do I want to know how much it took to sell me out?"

She shrugged. "I didn't take their lowest bid if it makes you feel any better."

Minako snorted, and Ami sighed. Usagi continued "Rei…" but then just shook her head " Thanks for giving them a hard time. But seriously, your father? Couldn't have you used connections for anyone else?"

"It's his world, not mine." She said, tone terse. This was an area of her life they didn't cover often, and it was clear she had little to say about it.

"Fine, but I'm calling you to complain. And, I'm borrowing your Manga."

"Hey-!" Rei called out as Usagi picked the newest Manga off her bookshelf "I haven't even read it yet!"

"Be careful or I text spoilers."

"Usagiiiiii!"

Usagi shifted back and forth uncomfortably, staring in the mirror before her first day at her new job. Setsuna had chosen a navy blue pencil skirt with matching blazer, white silk camisole, adorned with small gold accents, a little gold necklace with a small crescent moon charm, nude hosiery (how utterly terrible, scratchy and uncomfortable) with little black kitten heels.

She frowned. She felt like an imposter, a kid in well-fitting adult clothes. She pulled the thick, high-end fabric this way and that, it fell right back into place, making her look together and impeccable. She had a little black bag with a golden crescent moon closure, and she held it in front of her, stuffed with all the important essentials: brooch, disguise pen, actual pens, a little notepad, and her cell phone.

She checked her hair for any stray wispies to pin down one last time.

"You look very professional Usagi," the cat at her feet said with a hint of pride.

"Oh, Luna- careful no cat fur on the clothes!"

"Hrmph." Luna jumped onto the bed, before lounging in the middle of her pillow.

"Setsuna did a really good job...even if I feel like I'm useless."

Luna tilted her head to the side, cats eyes focusing on Usagi's face. "You're a natural. Just take it one second at a time, and remember to breathe before you speak. As long as you take the time to think, you will do fantastic."

"That's the sweetest thing you've said to me in a while."

"Well, you are a far cry from the girl I met six years ago. It's time you tried to do something new."

"I just…" She trailed off, looking out the window for a moment, "I just don't think that I could be good at this, I was never good in school, I get bored, I hate details…"

"You do great when details surround people. Just remember, everything in politics ends up being about people."

"Thanks Luna. Can I call you if I get overwhelmed?"

"I've been your advisor for a millenia, I'd be offended if you didn't."

She gave Luna and enthusiastic squeeze, before groaning that she needed to lint brush her suit again. Glancing at the clock she realized she was running late, and sprinted out the door, before sprinting back in, grabbing her lunch, grinning at the cat and heading out the door again.

Luna shook her head, before curling back on the pillow. Some things never change.

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, these chapters are coming fast because I'd basically already written a bunch of this story- the posting rate will slow down. So I actually didn't have the first scene in the planned doc, but TWO people commented on her first day at the job, SO I WROTE THIS FOR YOU AWESOME REVIEWERS ~ Lelelrose and Moonlight Usagi-Chan who expressed interest in a little bit more Senator Hino/ Usagi scene. Review and be rewarded !

* * *

Usagi entered the office breathlessly. The front office was empty, though a chime echoed through the office. A man came around the side with a cup of coffee, looking at her quizzically. Usagi immediately stood up straighter "Uhh, Hi I'm Tsukino, Usagi?" She held out her hand enthusiastically.

He paused, placing down his cup of coffee and reciprocating the handshake. "And why are you here today, Mrs. Tsukino?"

"I'm...I'm the new intern for Senator Hino."

"Oh." He stated simply. "He didn't mention you. He usually comes in later. Take a seat. He'll be with you when he gets here, I guess."

"Is there anything I can do-"

"No. Take a seat." He abrupt and sort of expressionless, and Usagi gave back a beaming smile anyway, then sat in the small fold out chairs that had been arranged for guests.

The man walked back towards the back, and the office fell back into silence.

It was impersonable. There were just a few chairs, some fliers on the district and a teapot, though it wasn't plugged in yet and had no water. She looked around as much as she could, but there wasn't anything there aside from the lone fake plant in the corner.

She texted Rei.

Usagi: Waiting for your dad…he didn't tell anyone I was coming I guess

Rei: Seems like him

Usagi: Should I do anything?

Rei: He agreed to this. He knows. That's all I know. What he does is out of my control. Just wait.

Usagi typed a few things, but Rei's tone was terse and figuring out what she should say was near impossible so she typing a few words and just ended up deleting them. Rei had never really been the texting type anyway. She chewed her lip before finding a cellphone game to get lost in for a few minutes.

Someone else walked through the door. Another man in an expensive suit, carrying a briefcase. He took a glance at her, and without a word walked to the back. She felt invisible. Awkwardly the chair seemed to creek every single time she fidgeted, and she always fidgeted, and it seemed to bounce off the walls dramatically. Staying still was impossibly hard.

Again, Someone else poked their head from around the corner. "Oh hi. And you are?"

Usagi bounced back up, "I'm Tsukino Usagi, the new intern for Senator Hino, nice to meet you."

There was a friendly smile, "I'm Yamamoto, Kin. Welcome to the office. Senator Hino didn't tell us your start date. He'll be in soon. Would you start the tea and dust the office while you wait? The cleaning supplies are under the tea counter."

"Yes, Sir." Usagi bowed, and he turned around and disappeared where he'd come from quickly. She fumbled with the cleaning supplies, dropping the duster multiple times because she was nervous. The room didn't seem...dusty or dirty or anything, but she brushed over the table surface and the desk then straightened some chairs anyway that weren't perfectly aligned to try and make a good impression. She really just thought of what Mamoru would want. He was always going behind her and straightening her shelves of things when she plopped down on the couch he'd always make sure that it was perfectly straight. Sometimes she'd move things to see if he noticed, and he always did. Their first few months living together had been this back and forth about _stuff_, his minimalistic orderly nature, and her color nicknacks clashing in unexpected ways. The was misinterpretation over what his cleaning _her_ stuff meant. Finally, they'd established her shelf spaces that he did just _didn't touch_ with the gentle reminder that he loved her and her things, but really really liked the coffee table for well, coffee he'd explained. With added emphasis "And nothing else, ever, Usako." Her mind mused on Mamoru for a few for moments as it took maybe ten minutes to complete the space, and no one had talked to her or checked back in with her at all. She frowned.

She checked her clock. 8:15 am. Maybe she should try to fill the electric kettle?

She grabbed it, poking her head around the corner past the office into the back of the building. There were cubicles, simple grey, a few people sitting at computers. She stood there sort of looking to where she could fill it and saw the watercooler against the back wall.

The few people there barely glanced at her, no chatter this AM. It felt...oppressive. _Why was she even here? _Regardless she made her way over and filled up the kettle which seemed to take an impossibly long time, of course.

Someone cleared their throat behind her.

And she dropped the kettle which sent water all over the floor, but thankfully the decanter didn't break and she grimaced "Ohohoh, I'm sorry I… let me get that" as she watched the puddle of water expand around perfectly polished black shoes.

"Who are you?"

She froze, an older man with a narrow chin and thick black hair and narrowed eyes. It might have been the facial structure, or maybe it was the bit of the harsh tone in his voice that Rei sometimes got, but she _knew_ it was Senator Hino.

"I'm...Tsukino Usagi, the new intern?" She questioned because of that deep growing dread in the pit of her stomach while picking up the kettle at his feet, the water already soaking into the floor. After that she stayed perfectly still, feeling that any and all actions would be the wrong one. She held onto that decanter like it was her brooch.

"And you went to TA Academy with my daughter, Rei?"

She wasn't sure how to answer that. They all knew Rei went to that high school for reasons outside of her control. Apparently, Senator Hino valued it but she didn't quite understand why, especially when Rei had only expressed interest in theological studies. She couldn't think about this right now, so she just muttered "Yes sir" internally grimacing at the lie. _Why had she said that?_

"Well, I thought they taught manners better than that. Clean this up, meet me in my office."

She just wanted to burst into tears, and managed to hold them back barely as he walked away.

Weeks past. It didn't take Usagi time to learn that Senator Hino was the embodiment of the worst of politics of any nation. Perfect bland attire, too much money, a smile for the cameras and not much else. He was a traditionalist, whatever that stood for, Usagi couldn't tell, but when he stood in front of his district and said words, people clapped, and apparently voted for him. Good for them. She didn't, she voted only for women, on the principal of the matter.

Right now, Usagi just wanted to wring his neck. Rei was right, he was an insufferable asshole.

The dynamic of Japanese Politics was possibly a very interesting topic to some. It just wasn't to _her _who, up until three weeks ago she was happily getting paid to help people play video games and the occasional photography session. She loved the photography, catching moments big and small, expressions- moments of joy. Weddings were her favorite, the kisses, the glances, the little tiny moments she could catch in time. Bonus, it gave her ideas for her own, which they needed to pick a date for soon.

This felt soul-sucking in comparison, and she'd had her starseed removed from her body. It might have been less painful and it certainly took less time. Adding to insult, Senator Hino had found out quickly she had an eye for pictures. And now she was taking pictures of older, balding men as they shook hands, or looked at projects, pretending compassion. She felt it reflected in every photo- composed, and unreal. They seemed to like them well enough though, and some of them had already been used in promotional material.

Truth be told, she'd quit this as well if it wasn't for the Outer Senshi. Honestly, she probably would have dropped out of high school if it wasn't for her friends, and Mamoru dragging her every step of the way. And, they had dragged her here. Except, they weren't with her for sly glances or encouragement, which is what got her through high school anyway.

Especially when well-dressed men ordered her to give them tea, while talking about the state of the world. So she did so, as they ignored her except for petty demands for drinks or small snacks and to clean the office afterward. She might as well been a decoration on the wall, a decoration that took occasional pictures and gave them to the PR team.

_How was this supposed to help?_

Because she'd learned her lesson a long time ago about going against the advice of a time guardian, she did listen. Mostly, it seemed, these men talked with nods and seriousness about large scale issues without doing much anything (at least in the time she'd be there): the cost of taking care of the elderly, the declining birthrate, issues of overwork, healthcare utilization. They also addressed hyper-local area issues of zoning, recent crime, structural improvements, power utilization and… well, it had only been a few weeks.

It made Usagi's head spin. Truth was, things moved slowly and more than not was just talk that fluttered through the office. A steady stream of people came in to pitch their ideas, remind the senator about important topics they believed in, and then disappeared again, no action, no nothing. Just words.

Usagi didn't mind that much, the community workers, the people who really cared who wanted to share why their issue was important. Usagi loved their passion, the way that they tapped their feet and were excited but playing within these very superficial rules. How sometimes they would come in, and she would answer the door, (because why would they?) and they'd just start _talking_ to her and that was refreshing, but she couldn't do anything about it. These men and women were adept at being heard in a way Usagi hadn't even considered really, and it was sort of exciting.

She started secretly cheering them on.

It sort of started as a way to annoy Senator Hino, who wanted to look picturesque, but not _actually do his job_. And, she'd really liked the woman who'd come in that day. She had this short blond spiky hair and this sort of commanding air about her but was excitable and talked fast and really just overall cute. She was there about the recent selling of a space that served kids who couldn't live with their parents for a variety of reasons, and the kids who'd established school and care routines and some sort of stability were to be scattered all around Tokyo. She was advocating for changes in the continuing care and transitional planning, especially compared to other nations. Due to Mamoru's history, it was an insightful look into the care system for children primarily served in group home settings. So, Usagi had to help and she'd looked up his schedule which was blocked off, but knew he was back there, and so she'd made sure the woman was heard.

After the first time was a success, and Senator Hino had spent about an hour with that particular case, Usagi would start leaving little hints for these advocates. Just little notes about when his lunch break was scheduled, his favorite restaurant, when he secretly blocked out his calendar to take a nap but was truly available for calls.

She'd say the coast was clear when it wasn't, so he'd run them, and they would pounce on him so quickly, and once in the situation he couldn't politely leave, so he heard them.

And Usagi would apologize about being new and all, and not understanding _just how valuable_ his time was. She did understand, probably too well.

And so she took the cards of the advocates and made sure to let them know _she_ thought that their issues were important, and they'd figure it out together.

Luna might actually be proud.

But overall it was mind-numbingly boring. After weeks of struggling to have hope during her new employment, the invite from Naru was too tempting to resist. Apparently her and Unimo, still together, had been asked to be interviewed as a follow up to people who had been on dating shows and were still together on this talk show to talk about it. It had started when Unimo had done a twitter story feed of memorable moments in their relationship, complete with video clips from the game show plus the recorded chaos after the damion had appeared. Why did the damion appear in a TV studio of all places?

Usagi didn't look at the video, looking at heart crystals being ripped out a friend's chest and damions wasn't quite the memories she wanted to relive. But, going to one of Japan's most popular talk shows to watch her friend on-air talk about their love and how it had persevered? She was totally in.

Mamoru had his Saturday rotation this week, which meant she didn't have anything to do. Naru had given her backstage pass "for moral support, Usagi I'm going to be on TV" and on Saturday she found herself standing outside the big building that hosted the show.

Naru grabbed her from the side with a squeal. "Oh thank god you came, I was getting worried!" She squealed, Unimo behind them, hands stuffed into his pockets.

Lasik and a few years to chill had made Unimo a far more handsome man, though he was still incredibly nerdy. "Hey- Usagi chan!"

Usagi gave him a hug as well "Thanks so much for inviting me, I can't believe you would...we don't hang out like we used too and..."

He smiled "Usagi, you introduced us, of course we'd invite you."

"Did I?" She cocked her head to the side with a pause.

"Yeah, you did. You've always been a social butterfly. And you encouraged us to date, even when I was unsure...and Usagi LOOK" Naru held out her left hand, ring predominantly displayed on it, so close to her face that Usagi went crossed eyed.

"OH MY GOD WHEN?! CONGRATULATIONS" She screeched out so loudly Unimo blushed, and the entire street stopped for a brief moment to look at her.

The ring was a set with a round emerald with little accenting diamonds. Beautiful, and the perfect size for Naru's hands.

"Just two weeks ago, I've been trying to keep it a secret from you so I could tell you in person. We honestly, thought you'd be there, but then you quit the job at the arcade…"

"You got engaged at the arcade and I missed it?" Usagi bit her lip for a moment, her voice strained.

"Oh it was so romantic USagi, you won't believe it. But come on, I'll tell you inside they want us to report to the dressing rooms and I want you with me okay?"

"I'm so happy for you both, this is perfect! IT's so beautiful! Unimo, you have great taste!"

"Thanks, but her mom helped so much...I mean, she owns a jewelry store."

Usagi laughed, "Still, it fits her perfectly!"

Naru had linked Usagi by the arm at this point and was leading her into the building while setting the scene about their romance. It had started with an early evening of video gaming, and he'd set little clues in the game after bribing Matoki to hack one of the consoles.

"He hacks?"

"Not officially, but...it was amazing!"

"I changed it back!" Unimo added in.

Naru paused her story to sign in, and from there they were to wait to be lead back to a casting room. No one really took notice of them for the moment. So she continued "It ended up triggering this little minigame and it was a word puzzle and then the letters spelled out 'marry me' and Motoki brought out this giant milkshake with the ring on the two straws and the whole arcade cheered and it was amazing. I can't believe he pulled it off and I had no idea. Afterward, we had dinner in the park. He paid someone to carter this picnic, because God knows we couldn't do it ourselves, and then spent the evening rowing on the lake. It was so Umino, and so perfect and playful but nice…."

"You really love him." Usagi started with a smile, as Naru blushed and continued to talk about it. "Of course I do. But, I didn't think I'd get married this young, you know?"

Usagi paused "I'd gotten married already but my dad wanted me to wait…and I decided that I would…but it does feel weird being the only one to be married out of my friends and I am so glad I'm not the only one, so my god we need to talk weddings!"

"But, you two are like soulmates or something, I swear. How are you and Mamoru anyway?"

"He's just...so busy, you know, with his residency. I miss him sometimes. But, everything is great when he's around and had at least a few hours of sleep. He's such a grump otherwise."

"I...I can't see Mamoru grumpy. I mean, I can't see him as anything other than suave or bickering with you honestly. He just always seems so together."

"That's just his front so people leave him be. It's nice when he's honest...because I know it means he trusts me, To see him grumble and complain and to plop down on the couch and aimlessly switch channels when he's not ready for bed but not really up for anything else It...it makes me happy because he just wouldn't do that with anyone else."

"Osaka, Naru!" A woman called out. Naru raised her hand and dragged them together.

The woman pointed to the dressing room. "Someone will be in shortly, and Ou Hibiki will come in to discuss the show with you for a few minutes before we go LIVE!" The host raised her hands up palms out and wide, like a flash. "Remember have fun!"

And the woman left. Usagi and Naru looked at each other with a giggle.

There was a bottle of champagne for the guests sitting with a pink bow in front of the mirror. Naru grabbed it opening it and pouring a bit of a glass. "There's only one glass, share? I could really use a drink with these nerves!"

"Sure why not- don't be nervous you'll do great!"

"I just..._last_ time…" Naru's face fell, and she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt before continuing. "When Unimo posted that video...I thought I was _fine_ with it. He was so cute when he was 15 and all boy awkward, and god he was awkward, and it's like I fell in love all over again. But I kept watching it and then I heard him scream and suddenly it was like I was _there_ again. It made agreeing to do this harder...but he is so so so into it."

Usagi gave her a long hug. There was so much she could say here, about the things she remembered, the ones she'd seen hurt, the way she could think about it. But she said none of it, and Naru broke the hug on her own.

"Thanks, Usagi. It's kind of stupid, so many people have been hurt by those monsters and everything turned out just fine...but it was so scary you know?"

"I...I can't even...I'm glad you were okay. I'm so glad no one died..." Before she could say more there was a brief knock at the door and it opened.

Two people were standing there, a young assistant in an apron, with a huge box of makeup. She had this gaudy gold eyeshadow and the tips of her dark hair were bright pink. "Let's get you ready. This, is your host, Mr. Ou."

Naru regained her composure with a simple tuck of her wavy hair behind her ears.

Ou stood at the door, and his eyes locked on Usagi. The man, possibly nearly 30 stood dark eyes drilling into hers uncomfortably. Impeccably dressed in a dark suit with this silvery blue tie. He was tall, not Mamoru tall, but tall enough to make her feel small, especially with that stare.

"Umm...How long have you had this show Mr. Ou?" Naru interrupted looking between the two of them.

He turned away towards the brunette, "I'm sorry, I just got lost. I'm doing an expose on long natural hair...and she may be a good fit." He said simply pulling a small stool and sitting down. He glanced back at Usagi "With that length and hairstyle, one might assume you're royalty." All of the shock was gone, and he casually leaned back to watch Usagi blanch.

"Just been growing it my entire life. I've never had it cut...just trimmed every once in awhile." She stammered as her heart froze in her chest.

He shrugged. "Well, we should talk after, it would be...interesting. Anyway, Osaka, Naru, engaged to Gurio Umino is it?"

"Y...yes."

"And your friend?"

Usagi wanted to clamp her mouth shut but didn't have a chance. "Tsukino, Usagi."

He repeated the name slowly as if playing with it on his tongue. Usagi was now entirely creeped out, almost enough to transform right then and there regardless of the consequences. Something was _wrong_.

She hadn't felt this kind of fear in a very long time. Usagi poured herself some of the champagne right into Naru's glass and took a big gulp.

He just ignored her for Naru. "So tell me about how you met? How about the contest?" While they talked the smaller woman started working on adding make-up to her face.

And Naru _talked_. Excurating minutes of Naru's bubbly rambles and Usagi's suddenly incredibly loud heartbeat in her ears looking at this incredibly relaxed man's crossed legs and polished shoes and cool gaze that was steadfastly not on her.

Usagi's mind realized, suddenly that Ou established his power and then ignored her, and that was maybe the most frightening thing at all. It made her think that maybe she was imagining it, but the way he had started, and covered with a purposeful statement, her heart raced she knew- without a doubt- for some reason this man was the enemy.

Ou smiled in all the right places with these perfectly white teeth and nodded and asked questions to keep Naru talking. Alarmingly he did weave questions in about her- where she'd gone to school, how they kept up their friendship, what she did now (which Naru stated She's getting married too!")Next she said, "The game show had affirmed how caring Unimo is, and how much he tried. He wasn't like that famous musician couple on the show, but he worked for her and how amazing that was. I just felt...so cared for, and I thought for the first time _this could be forever." _

Usagi realized that Ou wasn't going to make a move. Not today.

"Like friendships right?" He asked in response.

Naru agreed with an enthusiastic nod.

He did look at her then. "It's amazing to that people find love in this vast universe, again and again, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Usagi squeaked, in a way that wasn't graceful or powerful or much of anything. He sighed. "Good thing you're on the air, Naru, she just wouldn't do. Come! Time to go!"

He grabbed her hand and took her out the door, the makeup artist getting one last brush onto her face. Usagi went to follow, but the artist stopped her with a shake of her head. "You heard him, she's the star today. Stay here. She'll be back in a few."

"Can't I at least watch the show?"

"Uh, yeah." She found the remote in a drawer and turned on a small television that hadn't noticed until that moment. "Watch here, he's good at what he does. Your friend will do great."

"Thanks."

And Usagi was then alone.

She sat on the small stool, the very one that Ou had been on a minute before, communicator materializing in her hand.

Did she want to do an all-call? Tell the scouts peace was all over and this man knew and with Setsuna 's warnings, that something was going to happen and soon.

_Did she know?_

She stared at the golden buttons, the little planetary symbols that seemed so childish in the advent of cellphones but the all call feature was still super useful. She saw the tear on the screen before she felt that she was crying and that her hands were a little unsteady. Setsuna's words rang in her head: _your transition will be sudden_. But he hadn't _done_ anything. In fact, he'd just commented on her hair. Nothing like villains they'd met with threats, monsters and an insatiable desire for power. What would she even tell them? That he'd called her royalty? Was that worth causing alarm? She sighed pocketed it, and waited, looking at the little screen as the title: 'Talk of Tokyo flashed across the screen.

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	4. Chapter 4

Somehow, Mamoru Chiba had mastered the art of sleeping next to Tsukino Usagi. Even when she wasn't sleeping. Which was steadfastly the case right now. She'd put her back against his, feeling his warmth, listing to his slow, rhythmic breathing trying to center herself. He was right here. Usually, his touch was all she needed to relax, and there had been plenty of moments of deep anxiety, in which it was the only thing that had helped.

And, she still felt miserable. It just _ate_ at her, made her legs twitch, the blanket feel scratchy and her body ache. This uncomfortableness that wouldn't let her close her eyes for more than a moment, because her heart would beat faster and tears would spring to the surface.

Mamoru had tried to comfort her. _Tried _with those impossibly knowing blue eyes that after she'd insisted she was fine and okay had let it drop without with a 'you will talk to me later right?' She'd nodded, given him a hug and curled into his arms as he dozed off. After all, he had to work again.

And so did she. Which was the problem.

She'd hoped the weekend would provide a reprieve. Two glorious days off to do exactly what she wanted. And, she'd tried- she'd hit the arcade, and played video games, seen her parents, gone shopping. But the cloud and anticipation of Monday stayed close, anytime she was asked how it was going, how she was doing, the future loomed.

After a futile two hours, she'd got up, not rested, not reassured. She needed _out_ of here.

She scribbled a bit of a note for Mamoru, just in-case he awoke, threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and walked out the front door.

She didn't have a destination in mind. She just used her feet to move through the mostly empty streets, listening to the rustle of leaves and hum of streetlamps. Just one step in front of the other.

She knew the city at night. She'd fought and protected the city at night. But it didn't mean that Tsukino Usagi didn't feel that she shouldn't be out while the rest of the world slumbered. Setsuna's reminder, plus the meeting of Oui had put her on edge, that unsettled feeling of danger that she'd somehow forgotten in the last four years. She saw shadows that looked like looming enemies, the rustling of the trees or a scattered squirrel sent her into a panic.

She knew youma were incredibly loud. She'd never had a particularly quiet enemy, just large monsters destroying things in their path, killing, sucking up energy in some form or another. It had always been clearly obvious the danger. And yet, the soft sounds still startled her. Not enough to convince herself to stay inside, or sleep, but still startled.

She kicked at little rocks or leaves, meandering down long sidewalks, past shuttered stores and quiet apartment buildings. Eventually, she found herself in front of Rei' temple.

Of course, she'd come here. She looked around as if debating heading back home. She fished her phone out of her pocket, hovering over calling a sleeping Rei and then didn't. She did walk up the steps and layback near the top staring at the night sky. The moon sat half full, so out of reach, the stars twinkling in the way they did.

Usually, or before, the moon gave her a sense of peace. The power that she could feel when she closed her eyes, the thrum of her heart and the warmth that settled in her chest, the crystal that was the answer to so many things. And now it felt something that was impossibly large and looming in the sky, something that reminded her of exactly who she was.

She sat back up, picking up her phone and opening it to the first distraction game she could find. She just clicked. She couldn't think about it, couldn't deal with it.

"Usagi-chan?" Was the quiet voice, clearly groggy.

Usagi turned around to see Rei in back pajama pants and a matching sports bra and a certain black cat at her feet.

"Luna, you didn't need to wake her up," Usagi admonished, "I'm fine."

The cat knew better to argue, and simply said "I'll leave you two," and walked down the steps.

Usagi looked after the cat for a second too long, not wanting to really acknowledge Rei. Rei came and sat next to her anyway, without another word, to just let Usagi talk.

"I'm...she shouldn't have woken you up, I'm sorry I can go…" Usagi started to stand and Rei grabbed her by the wrist. "I'm awake now. Can't sleep?"

Usagi sat back down, with an apologetic glance "No, not really."

"What's up? You don't just wonder yourself to the temple...in the middle of the night because everything is fine."

It was the little poke she needed and the words just tumbled out in a rush, "I hate it, the job, Rei. Every time Senator Hino glances at me it's just so clear how beneath him I am, the whole office is. Every day I do things wrong. I'm told how I'm not organized enough, how I schedule things wrong, how I should be more polite, dress better, etc. Every day and I can't take it! I'm not that kind of person! I feel so...so...stifled and trapped in that tiny office, and it makes whatever comes next feel more impossible, not _less_"

Rei put a hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"I don't know what you all wanted me to get from this Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and you, maybe? Because it just makes me feel so ill-prepared so awkward, so so so lost. Honestly, I should just quit. Walk away."

"Usagi, you don't walk away from a challenge, I know that about you."

"I don't know what me being there does? At least, at least if I'm fighting, or in school, there's a goal? I don't see an endpoint here. I just go, get reminded how terrible I am and then go home."

Rei sighed, leaning forward on her knees overlooking the temple grounds for a moment thinking about what to say.

"Usagi...people, they _notice_ you."

"What?"

"Even when you are doing the most boring job on the planet, people see you. You're just...too unique, so bright, so interesting. My father isn't ignoring you, which means he's noticing you. You are doing something, maybe not something he likes, and I don't think he likes anyone or anything but himself, but he knows who you are and that counts for something."

"Does it?"

"Sometimes I think he wouldn't recognize me on the street if he saw me. He just doesn't care. I'm not good, or bad. I'm just..._nothing_ to him. Already, you've been there for a few weeks, you are _something_. He wants you to do better, he wants you to _become_ and I can't…"

"Oh, Rei." Usagi's voice shifted to that caring tone, and Rei was staring off into the distance.

"I, I don't _get_ it. I could tell him I'm Sailor fucking Mars and it wouldn't be enough. Because he just doesn't want me. He wants…"

"He wants prestige, a legacy."

"And his daughter can't give him that?!"

"Or won't." Usagi stated pointedly. "Of course you want nothing to do with him, and if you told him who you _really_ are he'd just use it for votes. He doesn't want free will, he doesn't want opinions. He just wants his mark on the world."

"And I'm…"

"Rei, you are so incredibly important, and don't you forget that."

"Hey- I thought this was about you?" She said as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

Usagi shrugged. "I don't want to even think about me, so it's a welcome distraction."

Rei rolled her eyes. "You don't get to come to my temple and sit on my steps at 3 am without resolving some personal crisis okay?"

"So what do you think I should _do?_"

"You don't think you could moonrod some compassion into him or heal him or something?"

Usagi froze because she could feel the childlike hope underneath the flippancy and it was so not Rei and yet there they were.

"Don't answer that. It was a stupid question." Rei covered, and Usagi let her.

"I do tell people when he's on lunch of they can bother him. I sort have made it my mission for people to annoy him."

"What?"

"He, at least pretends to listen. I'm not sure what gets through, but if I something is important, I let them know when he's available. He tries so hard to avoid everything, and I...I can't let him."

Rei started laughing, "Usagi, never, ever change. You don't know how happy it makes me to know you are there making him listen, to _anyone_, because it is likely his least favorite thing in the world."

"What if I do?"

"What?"

"I...you remember the future? And that _queen_ incase in stone and I just...the way Chibi-Usa talked about her, the...who is that person?"

Rei nodded and supplied "I remember the letter she sent written in only hiragana with chibiusa telling you to study harder."

"And, I didn't listen."

"No, but I mean she already knew that right? Pluto wouldn't actually let her change time. What if that letter was for you? _Now."_

"_I don't… "_

"That letter didn't tell us anything Chibi Usa couldn't have said. But maybe… it was really to tell you something about yourself."

Usagi beamed at her a for a moment and gave her a hug. She still felt the existential terror that everything was going to change, but...for now...maybe this was enough.

* * *

Tsukino Usagi had swept the floors, wiped down the counter, dusted the fake plants and smiled at least once or twice today.

And it was 10 am.

The office was mostly dead, a Monday morning for this group of people started slow, various officials striding in with their hot coffee even if it was late July, giving her a nod, and sometimes items to store for them. Occasionally they'd hand her paperwork to copy, or a little task to do.

But mostly, it was long periods of silence. Of course, their office etiquette was strict (she'd already gotten in trouble for slipping her shoes off behind the registration counter for guests, even if they couldn't see her feet!) and no cellphone use, no music, no nothing. Look attentive at all times. She'd _even_ tried to sneak in a book. Desperate times.

She fiddled with the tea selection tray available for those waiting for small neighborhood issues, zoning information, other ordinance questions, and advocates.

The chairs were all nice and neat, and no one was here, nothing else to adjust or wipe down. She walked back over to the desk to take a seat.

The bell to the door chimed, and Usagi turned around to give the required polite greeting and froze.

Ou Hibiki stood in the doorway, looking around at the scene, he smirked.

"I see you're into politics."

"How may I help you today? Do you have an appointment?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm here to see you."

"I'm not allowed to conduct personal business on the clock."

He snorted. "Serenity, _why?_"

She internally flinched and hoped it wasn't too present on her face. "That's not my name."

He cleared his throat "Tsukino, Usagi, Sailor Moon, Serenity- all the same."

"Not here, please?" She whispered, "No one knows- how do you?"

"I'd recognize the heir to the moon kingdom _anywhere_."

"I -" The phone rang in that moment, and Usagi looked at it and back at Ou, standing there observing her every move. She wasn't sure what to do, and finally decided he wasn't going to stop her from doing her job. She reached toward the phone.

He grabbed her by the wrist. "I'm talking to you."

She pulled her hand away, instinctually breaking his grip at the thumb exactly the way Haruka and Makoto had drilled her to do, the only reason she didn't do more was that the desk was between them and instinct couldn't quite react in the same way. She felt a shiver of cold where is strong grip had been, some murky energy lingering on her skin. She rubbed her wrist with her other hand, eyes wide, arms close to her protectively. "Don't touch me." Her voice at least had the bravado and command of Sailor Moon. She just felt a deep dark pit in her stomach.

"Pay attention, I'm talking to you." He reprimanded as if she was a small child.

She just stared at him, trying to think of something to say. In her silence he continued, his dark eyes looking intently at her "Why...why do you do _this?_ Why are you a secretary?"

"Why are you a talk show host?"

One of the men came through, "Mrs. Tsukino … Oh, Mr. Ou, what brings you to our office today?"

Ou serious expression transformed into a charismatic smile "Oh, just chatting with your lovely assistant. I was coming to see if you had someone who would be willing to spend time talking about the lack of senior care beds in this part of Tokyo, and the costs of care for the elderly."

"Hmm...when?"

"I'm flexible. Give Mrs. Tsukino a name and have her call me."

He nodded before heading for his office.

"Please go. My shift ends at 4:30."

"No- I've seen enough."

"What does that mean?"

He was already out the door, leaving her in the silence of the waiting room once more.

Usagi bit her lip, she was going to have to tell the Senshi, or at the very least Mamoru.

"Oh, Tsukino san, he's gone?" Mr. Takada handed her a notepad with a name and number on it. "Pass this on to Mr. Ou, will you? He's a big donor around here, you know."

She nodded, staring at the door to the office intently.

_Who was this man, and more importantly, what did he want?_

* * *

Usagi had spent the rest of her workday fretting how she was going to tell Mamoru, somehow without Luna, who would do the proper thing and tell the other Senshi immediately. She'd decided to let the others not in on this just yet… not until he _did_ something.

Maybe grabbing her _was_ something, but it wasn't Galaxia, or Diamond, or Beryl level something. Just human creep something. Which she could handle, even if he knew about the moon kingdom.

She'd done the traditional Japanese office loitering, making sure not to leave until others were on the way out, far later into the evening than she would have normally liked. And still, she found herself wondering the streets a little later than she wanted before going back to their apartment. She...wasn't sure what to say exactly, and wondered how he'd react. Mamoru had confidence in their relationship. But Ou had grabbed her- and she wasn't exactly sure what he would do. It wasn't that he was irrational to go and very publicly threaten a famous talk show host type, but sometimes things were pretty high stakes.

She just didn't know where to _put_ this to have a reaction, much less gauge his.

She calmed herself a the door, taking a deep breath, pulling her keys out of her purse to face Mamoru in all her anxiety, to tell him about his concerns.

She turned the key and walked inside.

And he was standing in the Living Room, headed towards the door to open it for her, and was wearing a tuxedo. Not Tuxedo Kamen tuxedo, (the one with the nice pleats, and the starred jewel on the collar) but a nice one nonetheless, the expected hospital scrubs nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, I was getting worried," He stated with a hug, kissing her on the head. "Hurry up and change or-"

She was about to ask why, when she remembered. Her birthday present. The concert tickets from Haruka and Michiru's debut performance of their new album, the one that she swore she wouldn't miss and how thankful she was.

"Oh my god, I completely forgot!" She yelled out, starting to take off her clothes in the living room as she headed to find the dress she'd picked out exactly for this event. Too much had happened today for her to even think about the concert, and the concerns of Ou flew out of he mind for the moment.

Mamoru trailed behind her, picking articles off the floor with a shake of his head. "Usagi, could you…"

"Oh God I don't have time to do my makeup do I?" Usagi called out from where she was hunting down the dress in their closet.

"Usagi, you've got 30 minutes if we take the train about an hour if we drive."

"Can we?"

"Yeah, parking is...well, parking but I'll ask Haruka and Michiru to see if they can help out a guest of honor."

"You're the best!" She turned towards him, dress in the hanger on one hand, in just her undergarments with a quick kiss, and he held her for a moment by the shoulders. He was soft, warm, delightful and nothing like her encounter earlier in the day. She trailed a finger down his face, giving one more kiss. "I'd love..." _kiss_ "to stay here... _kiss_ "But Michiru…" Another kiss, and then she used all her willpower to break away without finishing the thought.

"Dress." She stated aloud, getting her mind back on track, swinging the blue dress in between them triumphantly.

Mamoru just stared at her in some sort of bewilderment, and amazement of who she was, and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll...I'll wait in the living room?"

"That's probably for the best." She blew him one last kiss before she headed into the bathroom.

Less than two hours later Mamoru and Usagi filed into the large, dimly lit auditorium, Usagi had worn a deep navy blue dress, with small golden embroidery, sleeveless, and a matching golden shaw, and he'd worn a formal tuxedo. Usagi held the program tightly, on the top written in this perfect Japanese script, that could only come from an artist as talented as Michiru- stated Happy Birthday Usagi, please enjoy.

It had been weird, Mamoru had to admit, the birthday gift to Usagi being a program and two tickets for Haruka and Michiru's new tour. After all, Michiru and Haruka would give out tickets to them for the best seats in the house if any of them showed minuscule interest- they were always sitting on a huge pile of tickets and just didn't know what to do with them. So, for them to forgo an item birthday gift, and insist that Usagi come to their opening show was an interesting- and likely intentional choice.

He'd scoured the program for clues. The series was named Vessel, of the names of the songs seemed Haruka and Michiru appropriate: "horizon," "coordinates," "storm," "beacon," "erosion," "north star," and "dock" all generic enough. At her birthday party Usagi had just happily accepted and told them, of course, she'd go and how excited she was to see them together, and that she thought it was so much more beautiful than watching Haruka race (Haruka only did musical tours on the racing off-season, busy woman she was). Haruka had rolled her eyes, stating that racing was by far more exciting of the two. Usagi had adamantly agreed, but with a frown stated 'I worry about you sometimes.' Haruka shrugged saying she wouldn't crash and then Hotaru sensing the escalating tension at the party brought out her gift. The mood shifted and Usagi was busy opening yet another gift from her friends. Nothing more was said about it.

Usagi got comfortable in her seat, hand easily sliding into Mamoru's stating that they'd get to chat with them backstage after the show- Michiru had insisted upon it, and made sure for the 10th time that Mamoru had the backstage passes that they needed, because she kept checking her own purse and thinking she'd forgotten them at home.

They whispered like that for a while, in the dim light, a couple on a nice date in the concert hall, waiting for it to begin.

The accompanying orchestra took their seats, completing some tuning practice prior to the start of the show.

Then Michiru, graceful, took the stage, walking forward in a spotlight that seemed natural, going up to the mic for introductions.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. As you know, I'm Michiru Kaiou, and this is the first time we're performing this new show. It is the first time that my partner and I have put together a concert of entirely original music, and it has been a process years in the making. Truthfully, we started this about four years ago, after an unexpected change in our lives. I, well we, really, were both different then. We were facing problems, with no good answers. And, we chose the best of a bunch of terrible options and kept pushing forward. And then this young, energetic woman entered our lives, and brought this insight and wisdom to us. She allowed us to find the good in the storms, and the light in the dark. She allowed us to see options that were right in front of us, that we'd never considered or understood. Because of that, we found our family, and maybe just as importantly our hope. It was a transformation in our life view, a perspective I couldn't appreciate until it was shown to me. So, tonight she is a special guest, and I hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoy having you as a part of our lives, Tsukino Usagi."

She paused, looking at the blonde in the first row, whose hands were now clasped over her mouth as she held back tears in her eyes. Michiru smiled with a little graceful nod.

"So, with that, I'd like us to begin."

Michiru stepped back, picking up her violin as Haruka took long strides across the stage to her piano. And then, it began. Horizon was this peace with deep base and soft rhythms, that built tension, and darkness as it increased in frequency. Michiru's and Haruka 's music had the power the envoke feeling, as every good musician did, and Usagi- knowing their story was instantly transported through their times together. To how, in the beginning, they had fought, coming in from the horizon with a clear plan in mind. How they're ideologies crashed and she had begged them, and how hopeful she'd been that they could work together, and now it didn't have to end in destruction. She could feel their hopelessness, of their point of view in the first few pieces. How they'd stormed against each other, and against an enemy in such different ways. It was here the music started to change again from the deep tensions, at Beacon, which the symbolism was ridiculously clear. And, Usagi spent time wiping her eyes, and holding Mamoru's hand far too tightly, as the songs continued, making their way to the light and beautiful tune that was dock- or the present moment of their family and home.

Soon, Usagi found herself backstage, shifting on feet, overwhelmed with the feeling outpoured from them into her, the artistic rendering of something they'd never put into words. And as soon as they left the stage, Usagi had left Mamoru's side and barreled into Michiru, (who only didn't fall over because she was a trained warrior), with tears and stammered thank yous and how beautiful it all was.

Michiru pushed her back, wiping tears from those wide blue eyes. "Usagi-chan...no, really thank you."

Usagi cried harder then, and Haruka who stood right behind Michiru added, "Come-on kitten, don't _cry_ it's your birthday present."

Usagi simply pulled Haruka into a hug instead, and Haruka held her for a moment with a soft smile. "Come on now, don't get makeup on my dress shirt, Michiru might get the wrong idea."

Usagi laughed, pulling away and wiping her eyes looking between the two of them. "I'm just, I'm just so honored...you guys, you _for me?"_

"Not...for you, but _about_ you. You don't understand the impact you have on this world...on us."

Usagi frowned at the extra meaning, the 'she-was-important-light-life-changing-princess' meaning, rushing forward. Their encouragement about the job, the pushing for her to _do_ and she wondered if in this moment their roles were reversed, how hopeless she felt.

And she really didn't care _if_ they were, she wasn't going to change because of them.

"Usako?" Mamoru looked as Usagi remained frozen in place, the emoting and thankfulness gone left with a blank startle. And as quickly as it came it disappeared with a shake of her head. She glanced at him, then back at Michiru and Haruka with a brilliant smile. "Well, am I going to get your autograph or what?" She giggled then.

Haruka, with a flourish, pulled a pin out from inside her dress shirt with a wink, signing her program with the flourish of auto racing fame. Usagi beamed at Haruka, giving her another hug, before changing the conversation. "What did you think Mamoru? "

"Beautifully done… I admire how you can express so much with your compositions, the both of you."

Haruka shrugged. "Michiru does most of the work, I just encourage her."

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	5. Chapter 5

"You know," Usagi stated through a mouth full of crumbs, "Your cafe is by far the best part of my day." Usagi was getting through a third-afternoon cupcake while Makoto was sitting on the counter of the cafe she worked at after long days at culinary school.

Tsukino Usagi was sort of a taste tester, well Makoto let her think that anyway. Usagi loved everything with sugar almost blindly so getting an opinion outside of deep moans of utter devotion to buttercream was pretty rare. So objectively her taste testing skill was lacking. But, the praise did help Makoto's ego, and Usagi was always fun to talk to, so a plate of experimental cupcakes was making its way into Usagi's mouth.

It was 2 pm, before the after-school crowd. Makoto's bakery was 3 blocks away from Senator Hino's office, and Usagi chose to take a late lunch to spend time eating sweets and avoiding the senator.

Makoto hadn't gotten used to Usagi in her business attire of pencil skirts and tailored jackets. Usagi hadn't either, truthfully, but regardless of what she wore, Mako could always count on the bunhead to coo at her desserts like a long lost lover.

"So, I'm trying to make coffee drinks into cupcakes right now- that one is based after mocha latte, it has a whipped vanilla icing and chocolate base with coffee toffee bits sprinkled on top.

"Hmmhmm…" She nodded enthusiastically (just as she had to the other cupcakes) finishing it off in three large bites. "You're the best."

Makoto grinned, "How's work today?" Usagi got that look- it was hard to describe but it was a look that sort of darkened her features, furrowed her brow, that would flicker so briefly. Makoto knew there really wasn't anything she could do and she felt like Usagi deserved her fun after everything she'd done.

Usagi shrugged before answering, "It's getting a little better in some ways? Like, I'm beginning to get to know people a little bit, and when Senator Hino isn't paying attention, everyone is so much nicer to me. I'm starting to understand the scheduling better, and I really like some of the people who stop by..." Usagi frowned for a moment thinking about Ou stopping by and if she should say something.

"Usagi?" Makoto had a quizzical look. "Is that cupcake bad?"

Usagi looked at it for a moment and shook her head. "Oh, no it's great I just...sorry. It's hard working in an office with someone who is so critical of everything all the time. I thought Rei was judgmental, but this…" Usagi trailed off in a sigh and moved back to eating the cupcake.

"You're doing fine, I'm sure of it. He hasn't fired you has he?"

"Can I even be fired? I'm working for free...and…"

Makoto shrugged. "Well, you can always bribe them with my cupcakes."

Usagi's eyes got wide. "Can I ? Can I? "

Makoto laughed at how excited and childlike Usagi was. "Of course you can. Let me get you a box or two. On the house."

Usagi flung herself into Makoto's arms. "You're cupcakes are lifesavers. You have no idea, the whole office will be so much happier. I bet even the senator can't find anything wrong with your cupcakes and…"

Makoto laughed, stepping out of the enthusiastic hug to prep two pink boxes of culinary delights. Usagi practically skipped back to work.

Usagi returned to the office and presented the cupcakes to the team with a bit of flair and excitement, explaining they were from her soon to be famous chef friend, and that they were a donation, and that she'd be happy to cater in the future and just take one bite because your life will be forever changed.

Everyone gathered, taking bites and exchanging smiles, asking a few questions which Usagi was happy to answer before wondering back off to their cubicles again. She left a few out on the table for guests, just in case they had any later afternoon stragglers who could enjoy as well.

And she found the nicest plate in the kitchen and left one on the corner of Senator Hino's desk.

When he returned from where he'd been (it was unclear, he'd just blocked an hour of time out which he did sometimes) he looked at it quizzically, took a bite and sat down with a nod.

It was a million times better than every other exchange she'd had with the Senator, even if this one was technically from afar, as she just glanced at his reaction through the glass window of his office. After wrapping up for the day, she did a final look over the waiting area, said her goodbyes to the staff who seemed to be beginning to actually _like_ her, wrote down a note for tomorrow's meeting and the paperwork they wanted her to prepare. Then she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

She made it not even ten steps, almost to the side of the building when a man grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her into the dark alley. She stumbled momentarily before stomping at his foot with all of her strength. He let go stumbling backward and in a flurry of motion, she grabbed her brooch from her pocket taking a few steps back for distance until her back was firmly against the alley wall. She stared at the well-dressed talk show host who was busy trying to recover from his foot injury. It was intense, the way a few steps into the shadows of the tall buildings could feel so isolating when she could see the hundreds of people headed to their destinations after a long day of work. None of them the wiser of the confrontation happening just a few feet away.

"Feisty I see." He stated straightening, shaking off the pain.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name isn't important, who I am is a seer of the darkness and doom that had come before and will come again. What I need is the Crystal."

"That isn't happening." She clutched her brooch close to her chest, moments away from transforming if need be.

"And the moon kingdom fell because your mother said the same thing- that the seer cannot possibly _know _or understand fate. And, I see you, and the shame you would have brought your people, denying the gifts of peace and health to those on this planet, not even recognizing your fallen society, lost to time and lore. Serenity, do you even remember your kingdoms ways?"

She looked down and shook her head just enough for him to know that she didn't. She bit her lip, she wished she knew. It might make this make sense.

"Exile- Serenity. Exile isn't just space, Queen Serenity _couldn't_ do just that, NO! Its an exile from time. I was exiled from my _time_, separated from those I knew and lead and fought for. Done by your Sailor Pluto, hurled into the future to land at some whim. And I did into the wasteland **I** predicted. I saw _it_, I did my duty as a blessed one, Serenity. And She _ignored me. _She DID NOTHING. I couldn't sit still, and so I fought. I fought her, I fought everything I'd ever believed in to stop the darkness, to be hurled into darkness by its supposed _hope!" _He barely took a breath continuing in his rage.

"And because I'd been touched and a citizen of the almighty but no more Silver Alliance, I'd been blessed with longevity unknown to this living world, sitting in the confines of a bubble trying to figure out where to go and what to do when _nothing_ was left.

I checked this world's history, the fractured past and assumed the silver crystal lost to time. No Senshi, no power, no crystal. Lost, just like everything else and made my way out of this solar system to find a place to settle.

Which I did- until Galaxia came, the world after world destroyed- me fleeing my own premonitions to land on Kinmoku- to hear of the Great Silver Alliance's return, of a someone powerful enough to stand up to chaos, and I _couldn't believe it._ I had to see for myself, and to find a slight of a girl not willing to step forward? Not giving the gifts of life and peace? Fighting when provoked, but not...taking the courage to actually lead? And then I realized it was _you?_ Reborn to time after the travesty of the Silver Millenium? Lost the lessons of civilization, and not willing to do what is right!

Serenity should have given her reign, the kingdom wouldn't have fallen, and I would have a _legacy. ALL_ I have is your dust, your destruction, and the knowledge _I could be better."_

Usagi felt small and scared, trying to track his rage and yelling and words, trying to figure out what to do and grasped on to the first thing she could "So, what do you see, Ou? In your premonitions now?"

He looked at her, deadpan - all the expressiveness fell from his face. "Nothing. Nothing at all. And... it's because of YOU."

He leaped forward then. A feral booming cry, eyes crazed all semblance of the together talk show host vanished transformed into something dangerous.

Black energy glowed from his hands and he lashed at her body. She rolled to the side, barely dodging frenzied strikes.

She uttered her transformation phrase then, shining light enveloping her. She didn't even have time to enjoy the strength, the wings on her back, scrambling upwards and away from him as much as she could trying to get her panicked mind to think of something other than survival.

Thankfully he didn't follow.

She continued away jumping rooftop to rooftop, for maybe ten minutes before she stopped, looking around her frantically, catching her breath, and jumping into the alley to detransform.

"Usako?"

Tuxedo Kamen was there looking at her, and she bit her lip looking away. "What's going on?"

She opened her mouth and shook her head, no sound coming out and she fell into his arms and finally whispered, "I'm okay."

"Who? What?"

"I- I don't know, Mamo-chan, I don't _know."_ At that moment she let the power leave her, Tsukino Usagi in her business clothes and nice shoes looking at him, and he smiled brushing a stay hair from her ear. He heard the beeper on his side with a frown...and pulled it out of his tuxedo pocket not even bothering to detransform.

"Usako-"

"Just give me until the meeting okay?"

"That's four days away."

"I just got scared, that's all, I need to think- I don't understand and I'm not ready and…"

"You don't have to talk to me Usagi, but...promise me, that if anything...if anything feels off you let me know?" The pager beeped again and he glanced at it "I need to get back to the hospital..."

"I will. I just…I promise. Go." She gave him the biggest smile she could, and he looked back at her as he jumped onto the fire escape and then out of sight.

Once he was gone, she leaned against the brick wall of the building and cried.

She had tried that night, and in the subsequent days to tell him. Over dinner, in their bed at night. She would try in the morning when she just woke up, and every time, no matter when her throat would constrict and the tears would come and she couldn't force herself to say the words. Luna had been eyeing her, and she'd tried to get out something anything really. And it had been a jumble of her bad feelings, of her worries of the future. She didn't name him. She practiced saying his name into the mirror at 3 am, trying to make sure that this weekend she did say it in some composed sort of way, that she didn't stutter and fail and deny the reality that was too much to bear alone.

It was time for the weekly Senshi meeting.

She walked up the steps, past the green cherry trees and the little temple decorations slowly. Mamoru hadn't come with her, he hadn't been able to get out of his weekend shift. But before he left, he'd held her hand tight and simply said: "Promise me, you will tell them?"

She nodded. "I will."

That didn't make her want to do this.

Because she took her time due to her anxiety, she was the last one there. Rei had taken her displeasure out by rapidly sweeping (it hadn't taken long into their friendship to learn that the temple broom took the brunt of her frustration).

Luna, the most expressive cat on the planet, was encircling her with a look. It was the look of I've been watching you and _something _is on your mind.

Usagi ignored the obvious and greeted her with a huge wave and a smile. "Rei-chan!"

She stopped, looking up slowly, acting as if she wasn't impatiently waiting for her, "You're late."

"You live here!"

Rei shrugged. "Well, let's get our weekly ritual over with?"

"Well, there's nothing new over here!" Minako chirped. "All is quiet on the eastern front."

"Same deal with me, nothing new." Rei stated and Ami immediately added, "No unusual energy signals to report."

"I burned a cake," Makoto said deadpan.

They all looked at her. "The timer I sware I set it for 35 minutes for my oven, but it got set for 53 and I was cleaning and boom! Burned cake. That's weird."

"I don't think that rises to Senshi threat level, Makoto," Luna said a little too harshly while looking at Usagi who'd started to play with the skirt she was wearing.

"Usagi, what do you have to say?" Luna prompted finally giving into the question she'd been dying to ask for days.

Usagi shook her head, still looking down. "We...we have a problem." She stated quietly, "But I don't know if it's serious…"

"Well, out with it. What's going on?" Luna asked again, a little less gently. The girl's relaxed poses suddenly became tenser leaning forward to listen to her.

"_Someone..._ knows who I am."

"How?"-"Are you sure?"- "knows who you are?" were asked simultaneously.

She closed her eyes tightly because she didn't want to cry, and sighed, "At first, I thought it might be a fluke, you know. I met him...at Naru's talk show thing. And he commented on my hair- said it was like royalty, then went and did other things. It felt...wierd, but not worth telling you about you know?"

"Usagi your identity is one of the most important things about you" Artemis stated, the white cat standing right next to Luna. The felines locked eyes with each other for a moment, passing wordless concern between themselves.

Usagi shook her head. "I didn't transform in front of him or anything. He just...saw me and _knew."_

"Usagi, you said at first. What happened next?" Ami encouraged her to continue.

"He visited me at work?" She mumbled, "and called me Serenity."

There was silence between the team for a moment, each staring at their leader who refused to make eye contact, squeezing her eyes shut.

Luna leaned against her leg, then gently this time prompted, "Usagi, What happened next?"

"I...he grabbed me by the arm...but then a coworker came in, and the next thing I knew he was gone….and I knew I needed to tell you guys but...he hadn't _done_ anything...so I wasn't sure..."

"Usagi, What happened that you decided to tell us _today_?" Minako asked, glancing at Rei and Makoto trying to wordlessly strategize as a team.

"He…" Usagi started. Her mouth went dry again. She couldn't figure out why she was so nervous. He really _did_ creep her out. She took another deep breath. "He cornered me...In an alley. I ended up transforming and jumped away...I hate that I transformed in front of him, but it still didn't matter. He _knew_ _who_ I was…"

"Did he say anything; anything important that could help us?" Ami asked.

"Y-yes." She looked up at them and wiped away the few tears that had fallen down her face as she recounted the few days before "He was _crazed._ He started rambling about these visions he's had...About the Moon Kingdom; about death.._So_ much…." Using paused to gather her wording. "He wasn't just exiled off the land; from the Kingdom...he was exiled through _time_...How it was all my fault...How people's suffering was my fault too, and that he promised me that this time...This time?... He'd get things right...Whatever that might mean…" She trailed off, taking in the site of each looking at her with caring eyes and a seriousness she didn't want to see: Rei's expressionless eyes and thin lips, Minako had her henshin pen already in her hand, Ami visor out and ready, Makoto's hands in fists.

"Usagi?" Mina encouraged, "When was this?"

"Four days ago... He didn't hurt me or anything, it was just scary and he has some sort of plan, but it's he's not like he's Galaxia or anything... "

"Usagi, you can't keep secrets like this, we needed to know about this from the start! How-"

Usagi interrupted Rei, "I'm so sorry…" Her eyes filled with tears "I just … I just wanted you guys to have one last week, and one last Friday before this...whatever this is started, and I couldn't, I tried telling Mamoru, and I tried telling Luna and I couldn't...I just don't want it to be this way…"

Makoto sat next to Usagi and gently pulled her into her arms. "Usagi-chan...you know the one thing we want most in the world is for you to be okay right? Like, we love you and worry. Besides, I've been itching to punch someone, and he made my Usagi-chan cry."

Usagi sniffed "Really, you're okay with this?"

Makoto shrugged "I was born for it. Truthfully, I've been bored."

"Finally _some action,"_ Minako added in.

"Usagi, do you know anything about him?"

"Not much. It's...it's Ou Hibiki, the talk show host. " She sort of felt a weight off of her shoulders, mentioning his name to the group.

Minako pulled out her tablet, "He should be very searchable then. " She turned it towards Usagi, the first picture enlarged for all of them to see.

"Yeah, that's him." Usagi frowned as they passed around a tablet open with images of the Ou Hibiki. "He knows who I am, clearly. And he is angry for reasons I don't understand."

"But what does a talk show host…" Minako started when Ami cut them off. "Guys, look at this."

She enlarged a picture of Ou, shirtless, back facing the camera, face off to the side in profile. It was a handsome profile of the maybe slightly younger talk show host, the focus on the tattoo that took up a large portion of his back.

Luna and Artemis jumped on the table to take a better look of the picture. It was a tattoo of the solar system, clearly nine planets and the sun, in respective sizes, though there were some interesting details possibly. There were small circles for each important satellite.

"He's got a tattoo. So?" Rei crossed her arms.

"Yeah of what?" Ami prompted them.

"The solar system, right? Our solar system in particular." Makoto stated. "But why does that matter?"

"Because it's _more_ than that. Look at the detail, what do you see?"

"I see that it's scientifically accurate, right? Like there's Earth with one moon, and Mars with two, and Jupiter with however many that is, but its a bunch." Minako added in, "But it's not like modern science doesn't know this."

"79." Makoto helpfully added, and Minako looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You can't tell me you didn't go learn a few things about Venus when you became a Senshi?"

Ami cleared her throat to get the two back on track.

"No, look - How the moon is shaded to the time of day, and those swirls nearby indicate axis tilt of the Earth and degree of orbit. Its a date and time- those details make it so you can identify the season on the earth and the time of day on the moon. I know it is. I don't know when by looking at it, but its a specific date in time. The approximate location of all the satellites makes it incredibly precise when it comes down to it." Ami had her visor up and was busy typing away on her computer, reading something while they continued to discuss.

"But...um, like doesn't everything go in a circle so it goes back to the same place?" Usagi asked, using one hand as the sun and her other hand using finger going around it to indicate a circular pattern, "I did pay some attention in school."

"Not quite, the differences in orbits between are quite large, and the more of them you add the less likely they are to be in the same exact position relative to each other again. By the time you add in all nine planets, it's not repeatable in any meaningful way- this is a date and time, I _know_ it is. I just have to see if it's historical, if its not...then I may not have the computing power to predict it from here, I'll have to go to central control. Those types of variables take an impressive..."

"Why would you know something like that?"

"It…"Ami frowned, it was just one of those things she _knew_. "I…"

"It was a Silver Millennium tradition," Luna spoke up from where she peered on the table to look at it. "This type of art was really just an artistic expression for those in the know, for murals and such. Tattoos were a rarer one, but it made a societal statement." Luna looked at Artemis who nodded her to continue, verifying he was thinking similar things. "You likely don't remember, but people could change things about themselves pretty easily, back then. The disguise pen and similar magic was fairly commonplace so people did a ton of body markings and hair colors and such that they could change at will. But, people didn't _do_ tattoos unless it was a permanent statement they were trying to make. It was like a commitment or a marriage in a way. You said he could see things? Like premonitions, right Usagi?"

"Yeah, that's what he said, like Rei I guess."

Ami gasped as if she'd been punched.

"What!?"

"It's the end of the silver millennium, to the day, maybe even to the hour depending on your interpretation. That's the when."

Silence fell.

"It makes sense," Artemis stated. "If it's _him_ it makes incredible and terrible sense. He was _right._" Artemis sunk his head, ears almost touching the table, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Ou Hibiki, that wasn't his name then, but he was a seer. And he saw the end, and he told Queen Serenity about it. There were debates, and I'm not sure he understood the hows or why's but he was very very focused on one thing: _never let the princess go to earth. _She - you, Usagi of course- hadn't even been born yet, this was maybe 150 years before that?"

"Wait, _he_ started that?"

"It was about more than that, really. Ultimately he didn't believe what Serenity did was enough and almost started a war. And, apparently as part of that, as a statement, he tattooed the DATE he thought the world would end so others would know. That's _insane_."

"Not just the date, the solar system - he was concerned about the destruction of nine planets. All of them are there."

"But then why? Why did it _still happen?"_ Usagi asked softly, "Why was he banished? What…" She sat on the floor, staring off past the group lost in her own thoughts.

Minako placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder...to try and calm the raging emotions running through her charge.

Artemis continued, "We thought he was crazy. Charismatic, but crazy. Seers are like Rei or Michiru, it isn't actually that all specific, and this guy comes in with a date and expects the world to change for him. And of course, the Senshi would be expected to have the most powerful seers of the system. When...we didn't, he essentially started a cult and then it turned almost into an attempted coup. You've heard of people in this time, declaring the end of the world over nonsense, amassing a following, starting rituals and traditions. He was just like that. We _couldn't_ take him seriously. Ultimately, He was banished- and you were right it was from the time because the fear that his believers would follow him, so he was sent into the future - past the theoretical longest lifetime of any member."

"And when he re-appeared, the silver millennium was no more," Ami stated.

"I have to talk to him. I have to...apologize…I have to listen..." Usagi started rambling.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Minako looked to Rei for back-up on this, "We don't know…"

"He's already been around me multiple times without killing me. If he wanted me dead, he would have done it already. He knows exactly who I am. Haruka and Michiru will schedule something, they'll be able to contact him without much fuss with their connections and then we'll meet- alone." Usagi's stance changed at that moment, from the girl who was unsure of the reveal to someone with a mission and a plan, squared shoulders eyes straight.

"But you don't know what he is capable of! He's a magical being who has been around for a long time. He figured out who you were! He's been..." Makoto started

Usagi lept up from where she'd been sitting, "But we _know_ exactly what he was trying to prevent! He can't...he's not _evil_, he's devastated!"

"You _can't!" _They all cried out together.

"We do this my way, or I sneak off and do it on my own."

They all looked at her with wide eyes. They saw her determination, that steeled look she got before battle or hard decisions. The ones she made on her own, without them.

"Be _careful, yeah?" _Ami asked softly.

Usagi gave a firm nod. "Transformed, and ready. You'll know exactly where and be close by, and you can monitor the conversation and then we'll go from there. And if you need to swoop in and save me, I _know you will._"

Rei didn't try to hide her displeasure, "Let me be the first to say, you are a hopeful idiot."

"Noted."

* * *

Ou Hibiki strolled into her work two days letter with a small note. Wordlessly, he placed it on the counter, pivoted and walked out. With shakey hands, Usagi reached for it and unfolded the small piece of paper to reveal In a neat script: Friday, Sunshine Tower, 7 pm.

She looked out the door to try and respond but he was gone.

So, on Friday Eternal Sailor Moon waited at the edge of the building of the roof, back towards tiny roof access stairwell he was likely to enter through. She was listening for him but preferred to stare at the dusk-colored skyline of Tokyo trying to calm her breath. She flew, just inches off the actual rooftop, a soft flutter of those large wings that felt so powerful but calming. She wasn't sure when she'd developed it as a habit, almost like rocking, to hover up and down just so.

All she could think was that _he'd been wronged_ when he had been _devastatingly right._

She could imagine his hopelessness and pain. She'd seen his anger, his determination. How its held that across time, unmoored to the world he'd grown up in, forced to witness the silence of its destruction.

And it was her kingdoms fault. Queen Serenity's..._now_ her responsibility. And it compounded her decisions with Endymion, those that she didn't quite understand but felt the pull of him and knew she would never have made another choice. She felt it deeply, in a way she never had before. She'd seen the rubble, kicked the dust with her own feet so years ago when learning about who she was in this life, for a tiny hologram, who her heart somehow yearned for and yet she couldn't recall any certain memory, to explain how'd they had been reborn. There had been no survivors in that dust-covered graveyard that was once a powerful kingdom. But now, there was _one,_ and she had to face him.

She heard the door creak, and he walked onto the roof, confident, back straight staring right at her. She turned around slowly, placing her feet to the ground.

He spoke first. "You came alone?" He was in his work attire, suit, and tie, lapel mic still attached to his collar.

She shrugged, "You seem surprised, they are close by if that's what you're asking." She took a step closer to him.

"Of course they are. Can't have you too far out of sight." He said it casually as if it were simply the rules of engagement.

"I know who you are now."

"Do you?"

"I'm impossibly sorry. It can't mean...anything really, but really, I am."

"Then do what's right."

"And what might that be?"

"Give me the crystal so this world doesn't perish like the one before it."

Usagi closed her eyes for a second with a sigh. "You know I can't do that. It is the one thing I cannot do."

"I don't understand you. You're here- you have this incredible power and you hide, among these people for what? Why?"

"I...do what is necessary."

"I know, you fought and won against Galaxia, hell pretty much every space fairing planet in this universe who wasn't annihilated _knows_ you're here now. But the people of this planet live in ignorance. When Earth stood, we knew it had to still be here. In truth, the memories of the silver millennium and its fall are just historic notes in a universe full of them, but YOU are now, and so is that crystal."

"That is what it is."

"What sort of lip service is that? Why don't you act now? What is it about the future that paralyzes you to this present? Everything could be different."

"What is it that makes you think you are capable of unifying this world? If you haven't noticed, Earth is a bit of an independent place."

He smirked. "I'm _good_ at that, you know."

"Then help me do so? When it is time? You deserve..."

He shook his head. "You lost your chance. You hide here among the stench of sickness and mortality in this uncivilized world. This is the last time I'll do this amicably. Give me the crystal, and I can change its fate."

She shook her head. "I _don't_ want to fight you. But, I will protect what is mine."

He didn't say anything, just leaping forward tackling the Senshi as she lost her balance, falling backward off the roof and suddenly they were gone.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

They reappeared, high mid-air, Usagi blinded by the bright spotlights tall in the evening sky. The second thing she noticed was voices, the low indistinguishable rumble of thousands of people that suddenly erupted into wild cheers.

A hundred thousand of them.

She squinted, realizing she was looking down at a full baseball stadium, being held tight by Ou Hibiki, unable to break free.

The spotlights moved towards them, Usagi couldn't see anything but his side profile of glowing smile and dark hair, and he whispered clearly to her in a low steeled tone "Corporate or I'll kill them all."

She froze. Heart pounding in her chest was only slightly louder than the roar of voices and sounds of people all around her and she was frozen still unsure of her next move or action. At that moment she watched him tap his lapel mic with a free hand, his other gripping her waist tight, fingers curled into the base of her wings, dark magic locking her to him. He flashed a dazzling smile, and behind him, she could see her pained face on the giant jumbotron screen.

"Hello, Tokyooooo!" He called out, far too cheerfully and it boomed through the speakers with a reverberating echo.

Everyone's eyes were on them, and no one was moving; the threat a whisper between them and them alone.

_This had to be planned. _The time, the setup, Friday evening, the lapel mic already connected to the sound system here. _He was going to show the world who she was._

She started to fight then, to try and break from his grip and shake him off.

He held her tight, dark energy running through his grip.

"Its Ou Hibiki of Talk of Tokyo fame, and meet your protector- the one who hides in the shadows, Sailor Moon!"

There was an eruption of cheering, though the baseball players from both teams craned their heads from the field to look at the ongoing scene, the baseball game forgotten.

_She needed to focus, especially with so many civilians so close, and on all sides. The only way out was up. _She tried to fly, push her wings to propel herself forward but they didn't budge at all...she felt chained to him.

He continued to pander to the crowd, ignoring her struggle. "It's time you know who she is- and understand she's been hiding an incredible source of power from all of you. Meet Tsukino Usagi of Azabu Juuban. Princess of a fallen kingdom. She's...been keeping things from you, keeping you from the blessings that could be a part of this world. I will change all of that, I will give you what she withholds! FOR YOU!"

Everything happened so suddenly, but if felt in slow motion, his strong hands reaching towards her chest, gripping the red enameled brooch that held the silver crystal. Usagi felt it as if it were a part of her body- not just some physical adornment, the pain and flash of light as it disconnected with her and connected with him. Usagi screamed in visceral pain even though she didn't want to, as her fuku and wings exploded in ribbons and light and vanished back into the stone she was no longer in possession of.

She barely had time to orient, between the pain, the blinding lights, her startled face on the jumbotron she could still see before he let her go (magic and all) and she began to tumble.

She didn't really see it but felt a fierce heat that she knew only came from her Fire Guardian, suddenly swooped up into familiar strong arms. She looked up at Tuxedo Kamen, she knew that strong jaw and blue eyes focused not on her but on exactly where he was going to land. Briefly did glance and whisper "I've got you, Usako."

She nodded firmly to look back over his shoulder worrying about the battle. She could see Senshi of Silence in purple, glave held out like a javelin leaping into the sky, towards the talk show enemy who seemed to shimmer away.

There was so much noise. Cheering, clapping, she could make out the Senshi's voices a little bit between, Haruka's barking commands from the field. But she was more focused on the pit in her stomach, this overwhelming pervasive feeling of weakness and she felt so small.

So she clung to him. Her strength, he was there, she was okay. She wasn't sure exactly what happened next honestly, her mind too in shock.

Somewhere, distantly she watched, through exhausted eyes, blurred with tears. He took steady steps through the crowd of people, little flashes from cell phone cameras, murmuring of questions, the gasps, and pointing.

Tuxedo Kamen didn't say a word. With a steady stoic pace, he walked out of the stadium, before leaping to the rooftops. She just clung to him, knuckles white, staring at the white pressed shirt that came with his transformation.

After a few minutes, he stopped still on some random tall rooftop overlooking the city, their only companions the wind and silence, the hustle of Tokyo left below. He placed her on her feet, but she leaned against him.

He waited for her as her thoughts fluttered around in her head but she couldn't get herself to speak. She felt so exposed, so cold, so in shock. She felt the moment Ou Hibiki pulled at her brooch, the moment in front of the public, when the power that clung to her evaporated into evanescent ribbons to be immediately replaced by her soft oversized shirt and jeans of her everyday wear. She felt like she was trapped in the moment of detransformation, naked, like her clothes never were replaced, criticized, exposed, vulnerable.

And powerless, unless the Senshi had retrieved her brooch. She didn't even _know. _

She watched the little spots where her tears met his shirt grow as she trembled.

Eventually, she broke her stare at his chest, looking around the rooftop, at the night stars, at the moon, at the silhouette of Sailor Venus keeping watch from a rooftop over. She avoided his face. His frown of concern. Those eyes that looked into hers and made her feel all of the turbulence rumbling inside of her.

He placed his lips to the crown of her head before speaking "Usako, I don't think it's a good idea to go back to our apartment. Where do you want to go?" His open palms on her back, holding her close to provide as much strength and comfort as possible.

"Home."

"Hold on." He scooped her back up, leaping through the city in silence.

They'd arrived not long later her family's home, a little press pool already congregating outside of the lawn on the small Juuban Azabu street. He pulled his cape around her, shielding her from prying eyes, as she stumbled forward to the door. Her items had been left behind, and the spare set of keys with it, so he knocked softly.

"I TOLD YOU-"Raging voice opened the door wide, before Kenji froze wide eyes taking in the masked superhero and his shielded daughter and tear-streaked eyes, so small and pale against the bold red of Tuxedo Kamen's cape.

"She wanted to come," Mamoru said simply speaking for her. Kenji wordlessly stepped aside, closing the door behind them quickly.

"Ikuko!" Kenji called out "She's...she's here."

"Usagi!" Ikuko cried out rushing from the living room, and Mamoru stepped back as Ikuko enveloped her into a big hug. Usagi just fell into loving arms, as her mother checked her face for injury. Kenji was already closing the blinds and curtains, blocking out prying eyes.

"I'm sorry momma, I'm so sorry." She muttered, "I didn't want you to find out like this, I…"

"Shh, it is okay. It's okay, what matters is your alive." Her mother guided her to the couch, with gentle hands setting her down carefully, grabbing a blanket to wrap around her like she was in shock.

She likely was.

"Usako, I need to let the others know where we are."

She shook her head, "Venus, She following...I think?" Usagi sort of looked around for the first time trying to put together words.

"I'm sure the press will broadcast it soon enough even if you don't tell them." Kenji bitterly stated, taking a peek out of the curtains. "More people are gathering."

"The Senshi will run interference," Mamoru stated. "Their priority is always Usagi."

"Is...is that because she's a _princess_?" Ikuko asked in sort of whispered wonderment, looking at her daughter curled up in a pink blanket looking so utterly lost. Usagi eyes darted away her tears increasing in intensity to wracking sobs.

"What how-?" Tuxedo Kamen started to ask.

"The broadcast- Ou...he said it...he said lots of things…" Kenji frowned. "We've been watching since it happened."

Tuxedo Kamen really didn't have time to contemplate his answer, kneeling in from of Usagi and taking her hands, purposefully touching the engagement ring on her finger. Wordlessly trying to get her to calm. He couldn't focus on anything but her when she was like this. He leaned his head against her lap, listening in to her feelings so powerful they were overriding his own, and he just wanted to provide her some sort of comfort, something to hold on to. Her fingers started to unconsciously comb through his hair.

Her parents watched with concern, holding each other briefly, Ikuko biting her lip as she tried to figure out what to say or do next, waiting for something to happen, for something to be said.

"We're family," Kenji stated, placing a hand on the caped hero's shoulder, and Usagi's as well. "Usagi, we are your family, and we could not be prouder of you."

She stopped crying then, turning to the side looking at the sincerity of her father's face. The way he stood close to Mamoru with ease. She wiped at her eyes with a shaky hand.

"My beautiful baby girl somehow managed to be a superhero under our noses for years. And...I was worried about you dating!"

She briefly smiled. "Dad, I-" Large crash of thunder made everyone in the room jump, before pouring rain started a moment after.

Usagi laughed, "Oh, Jupiter." She looked up at the ceiling as if she could see the nature goddess standing on the roof of the house calling to the sky. If the press were going to be here, Makoto would make sure that they were as uncomfortable as possible.

A moment the windows shook with the force of the winds. "And Uranus," Mamoru added with a smirk.

"Don't let them knock the house down!"

"They won't. They're just really protective." She sat back her shoulders losing some of their tension, starting to compose herself with the reassurance of her friends. She looked at Mamoru in his cape and his mask, still sitting on the floor in front of her so intently. She softly traced his mask before quietly whispering, "You can detransform, it is not necessary, not anymore."

"Oh." He let costume shimmer away, the 23 year old medical student reappearing in the scrubs he'd left work in. He turned from her with a squeeze of his hand. "I'm assuming you all have questions."

"I...I'm sorry, but I can't answer them right now. I…" The distress of the situation had been hiding her fatigue and has her adrenaline faded, so did the will to keep her eyes open. "I need to lay dow-." Her words started to slur.

"Usagi!" Mamoru called out as she started to slump forward grabbing her before she tumbled forward off the couch. He smoothly laid her down and grabbed his cell phone from his pocket, calling Ami's number was dialed as fast as possible. As Usagi's panic faded, the empath could feel the exhaustion, the pulling despair, the cold. And something about it felt...unnatural.

"Ami, I need to you here now. Something is wrong with Usagi."

The knock on the door followed, and the Mercurian soldier stepped into the house let in by Mamoru. "Can we lay her down, I need to run a scan." Mamoru was pretty sure she was just being polite, as the blue visor was across her eyes flicking over something only she could see.

"Can we take her up to her old bedroom?" He asked Ikuko, looking at the figure laying on the couch.

"Yeah...Is she okay?"

Mamoru grimaced. He _didn't know_. "I thought so, but this isn't normal."

"She doesn't have the silver crystal." Ami supplied, before turning to the family. "She's going to be okay, she's definitely going to need rest."

"You didn't get it?!"

"He transported away." She stated, brow furrowed looking for the right words to precisely express the gravity of the situation, "I don't think he knows how to use it. _I _don't know how to use it. Either way, his words have made it clear he's here not to destroy like Metalia or Galaxia, and more to rule like a King. So, that gives me hope that we'll be able to retrieve it without catastrophic consequences."

"Can we find it?"

"I'm running scans for it already. We don't have any leads. It is the highest priority. As soon as I scan the right area, we'll know."

He picked her up, carefully navigating the stairs. "Ami, she's _cold._"

Ami already had her palm computer doing medical scans. "An electric blanket would help. But, it's not...dangerous for her I don't think."

"You are not inspiring confidence." He laid her down, covering her with a pink blanket before closing the curtains.

"Her body has some sort of energy bond with the Silver Crystal. It doesn't matter much unless she's using it, or the Crystal isn't in her possession, which until now has never happened for more than a few moments at a time. But, she's capable of resting and returning to a 'normal' level of energy for a human, anyway. It's like her body shares its stores with the Crystal kind of like honey from a beehive. If you take the honey, the bees will make more, but they don't have the energy stores if they need them."

"Will using the Golden Crystal help her?"

"It would, but it's technically unnecessary. We may need you to fight, and we won't be able to get Usagi close enough until we're already in possession of the Crystal anyway."

"I hate it when your right."

"Is there anything I can do?" Ikuko asked from the doorway, her hands fiddling nervously with the apron she still had on from the kitchen.

"An electric blanket, if you have one, Tsukino-san" Ami smiled looking up from the computer for a moment.

"-And a large pot of coffee. One of us is going to have to be on guard with her at all times, so coffee would be useful."

"Will you need chairs?"

"That will help,"

Ikuko looked at the solemn pair "Done. And...Thank you."

"No, Thank you, Tsukino-san. Usagi couldn't have a better family."

Ikuko smiled, before turning away. In a few minutes, she returned with a blanket with Kenji behind her holding folding chairs She entered giving the two a look,

"She needs it right? Can I do it?"

"Of course."

Ikuko carefully changed out the blankets, pausing momentarily to look at her daughter's sleeping face gazing at her features. She traced a single finger down her cheek before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I do have questions."

"It...it's Usagi's story to tell, but I'll fill you in where I can," Mamoru stated while arranging the chairs for the four to sit.

"How long? When did this start?"

"She was 14, I was 17."

"How...how did you get your powers? Is this like something where you got hit by radiation or something?"

"We were born with them, but we had to be awakened."

"Awakened?"

"That's complicated, and For Usagi to tell. She will explain better than I could."

"On...on the TV, is what he is saying true?" Kenji asked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see the broadcast, so what part?"

Ami grimaced. "Mamoru- we're going to have to talk extensively about that, all of us when we get the chance."

"That she could change the world, that...she could do more?" He looked at the sleeping figure with an expression of almost bewilderment.

"That...this is complicated...what is theoretically possible, and what the world is ready for are two different things, I think."

"What does that even mean?"

"Usagi is incredibly powerful. But...I don't know if we understand exactly what she can and can't do."

Ami sighed. "Mamoru, I've been following the broadcasts, I mean he is still talking and it's she bit her lip….I just think Usagi is going to take it hard."

"Why?"

"Just...look." Ami held out her palm computer, projecting an image on the far wall.

The talk show host reappeared, him looking relaxed and not like he had barely hours before pulled off stealing the most valuable object in the galaxy. He didn't look like he was worried about them tracking him, his voice steady and droning as if _nothing was particularly wrong._

"As you can see here, when our city and our world has faced periods of great crisis…"

It was set up similar to a news broadcast, a smaller screen showing images of darkness, that Mamoru immediately recognized as the violet light of the power of Pharaoh 90 shooting into the sky before the awakening of the silence, followed by the bright, unmistakable light of Usagi, of the Silver Crystal. The footage broke from professional, sky-wide cameras into shakey more amateur shots, different people, cellphone footage sort of cobbled together from all over the city, shot after shot. Of the light, and things happening around them.

Flowers blooming.

Injuries healing.

Scorch marks disappearing.

Panicked animals quieting.

The reverence of the light.

He had to really focus not to get caught in his own memories, of what it felt to be in that power, to be drawn out of _death_ by that power- those moments of utter peace and fulfillment that just burst from her and overloaded his brain and everything. Assurance. Safety. Hope.

The enemy's voice cut through his thoughts "She chooses not to give that to us, to give the gifts of the light. She hides them, hides from us, and no leader, no savior is like that. This object…"

"Ami-"

The blue senshi sighed, clicking off the screen. "He has combed, and I mean combed through so much media, to create this message, that she's _not good enough_. There is a mythos of what Sailor Moon could do, combined with this public perception...and..."

"That's insane, seeing that, being there, no one could possibly think that someone else could do it _better?!" _Ikuko and Kenji blanched scooting back in their chairs at how his voice raised panicked.

Ami remained calm, "I'm saying that public perception is a fickle creature and one we haven't dealt with in any real fashion and he is way ahead of us. And, whatever happens next, however it happens, if people aren't on board Crystal Tokyo will never happen."

"I don't care about Crystal Tokyo, if we don't get that Crystal back..."

"Mamoru, trust me we are doing everything we can and right now I need you to be calm and focus too okay? We're here, with Usagi's parents and you specifically are the best person to make sure she stays safe while we figure out our next move." She turned towards Usagi's parents, "I promise you we're doing everything we can."

Mamoru ran a hand through his hair… "I'm sorry. Where were we?"

"I'm running scans, I do need to get back out there to coordinate with the others. I'll give you updates when I have them...somebody will be in to keep watch with you for now. I'll expect she'll wake up in a day or so?"

"Ami- thank you."

Sailor Mercury nodded and stopped at the door "Is there anything we can do for you two?" She asked the solemn parents softly.

Ikuko nodded "Shingo... Usagi's brother, He's at a friend's...he's going to need to get back here eventually?"

"We'll make sure it gets taken care of."

* * *

Please Review


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: A HUGE THANKS To TRP for 1) her reviews, 2) Encouragement and 3) For pretty much writing the last scene for me. She has been a constant support for this story, and I don't know what I would do without her as my bestest fandom friend.

I don't know if I'm happy with this chapter. In some ways I AM VERY happy in other ways I'm pretty dissatisfied, but it's here and done and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

The silence of the Tsukino Household was eerie. Absent were the sounds of videogames downstairs, the lack of busy kitchen, no light banter between husband and wife. In its place was a thick anxiety, shared glances, and a hovering Ikuko. Mamoru hadn't noticed how he'd acclimated to their home, he had been here many times now over the years, and he remembered being a young teenage boy and so so intimidated by how busy it was, how animated, how homely. He just allowed Usagi to usher him through with reassurances. If you had asked him, he would have never admitted to being used to the bustle of a family, until he was left in her home with her unconscious. Her joy, her comfort, their relationship replaced with a deep worry and oppressive silence.

Kenji Tsukino had decided to make himself useful by watching broadcasts. Sailor Mars was currently sitting at on the floor at the edge of the bed, in a meditative pose, refusing to engage in any sort of conversation. She didn't have the great fire here, but Mamoru was pretty sure she was trying to access any hints she could into where the silver crystal might be while being on guard in case Ou decided to show back up.

Ikuko had pushed a little small talk, which awkwardly would go on for a few moments, and then fall back into silence. She'd still stopped in with coffee and sweets, squeezing his shoulder and nearly every time she walked into Usagi's bedroom she'd play with her daughter's hair very briefly and then leave before she cried. They sort of tried to talk about it- but Mamoru wasn't good with words and felt that Usagi should be explaining these things, and there was enough Senshi chatter over the communicator, the broadcasts in the background, that focusing on anything but the mother in front of him was a welcome distraction.

He was aimless. He'd been flicking through newscasts on his phone, which was an interesting mix of support and questions, not really opposition. Usagi's face on the front page of pretty much every major paper. He didn't need to see the story, but he needed to know what was being said. He'd go hold her unresponsive hand, every single time she was in this sort of sleep it was as if she were in a coma, nothing would wake her. Nothing.

The day wore on. The only thing that punctuated time passing was the changing of occupants in the room.

Now, Mars was gone and Sailor Pluto leaned against the doorway, one foot firmly against the door, time key leaning against her as if she was at the time gates and not in the Tsukino Home.

"Setsuna." Mamoru interrupted whatever was going on her head, not that he knew.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you send Ou through time?"

Setsuna was unreadable to the human eye, but Mamoru had a slight advantage of being an empath. He felt the subtle change in her, a catch of breath, maybe a whiff of nervousness that hadn't been there before. Usually, Setsuna was just a steady calm, getting anything out of her took time, even in battle.

Setsuna turned towards him. "You're paying attention."

"Of course I am. He's from the silver millennium, he jumped a significant amount in time and the only one with that power is you, so why did you do it?"

"I was _ordered_."

"We've asked you to do things, and you have had no qualms saying no."

Setsuna shrugged, "It wasn't exactly a common punishment, but he wouldn't have been the first."

He could feel it. That subtle change in the pace of her heart, the sudden rush of energy that hadn't been there a moment prior. She was hiding something.

"What do you know about him?"

"Nothing you don't already know. He's cunning, determined, charismatic. He talks to people. He hasn't changed much, honestly."

"What about powers?

"I'm not sure- Lunar beings were known for having magic, he didn't stand out in any respects that I remember aside from being spot on as a seer. That was the most accurate reading I've ever seen, from anyone, ever."

"You knew."

"Of course I did."

"You sent him further."

"What?" Her face still looked the same, but he could feel the startle, the little bit of her heart race, the adrenaline that tensed her muscles and her acute awareness of the scene around her.

He repeated himself. "You sent him to come here, didn't you? That's why you're nervous, that's what this is about."

"I'm-"

"Don't lie to an empath." He held her gaze, those stern dark eyes. She turned away first.

"Yes, Endymion."

"Don't do that either. I just want to understand."

"He's a catalyst, nothing more."

He could feel the cold detachment return, and it alarmed him, "He's a catalyst with the Silver Crystal, doesn't that alarm you!?"

"That...I didn't predict." She frowned. "The timeline…"

"Which timeline Setsuna?"

"The one I was ordered to protect?"

"Which one is that? What were your orders?"

"To protect the future of her. All Queen Serenity ever wanted was for her daughter to have the best life possible. And I will carry out that wish. I always _have_."

All he could feel was her sincerity, her truth, the steady rock that was Setsuna, as she gazed at Usagi on the bed. \ "I know. Thank you, Setsuna. "

It fell into silence and their own thoughts. He looked at the time guardian, so still, so contemplative, and spoke again as the pieces fell into place for him. "Crystal Tokyo is your life's work, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

She didn't say anything more to him, and he let her have the silence. He knew she had said more than maybe she had intended, and he understood her need for secrecy. Occasionally she'd change positions or drinking some tea provided by Ikuko, and eventually, they rotated senshi again.

Later in the day, Shingo had stopped by.

"You're Tuxedo Mask." Shingo stated bluntly from the doorway, looking at him with an expression he couldn't quite desern.

"Yeah, I am."

"Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Why do you throw flowers?"

"They're _sharp_ flowers."

"But flowers? Why not...knifes, or spikes, or energy blasts or…"

"I can do energy blasts."

"But...why flowers?"

He shrugged. "The powers just _are_. I didn't get to chose the outfit and the accessories, it just happened that way."

"Huh." Shingo frowned looking at Usagi on the bed. "_She's a superhero. Like the Real Sailor Moon?_"

"Yeah, she really is."

"What does she do, cry at the enemy?"

He paused, remembering her first days as Sailor Moon "You know, that was somehow surprisingly effective, but...trust me, when push comes to shove, she _shines_ and no one can stop her- and many have tried."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah."

"You going to protect her?"

"Shingo, I protect her with my life."

"How did she do it?"

"What?"

"Keep it a secret for so long?"

"All she ever wanted was to be a normal girl. I think she would have given it up if she'd had been able to. Being a superhero is a lot of work."

"Usagi really does love her sleep, she'd give up everything for a few more hours of sleep."

Mamoru laughed.

"Will you let me know when she wakes up?"

"Of course."

They sat in silence for a while. The boy looked at Mamoru for a moment before leaving.

"Don't tell her I said this- but Thank you."

He nodded, and Shingo disappeared.

Eventually, sometime after the sun had risen into the next day, Mamoru saw her hands start to twitch, and a bit of a wiggle that he'd learned to associate with her dreaming.

Within her mind, Galaxia, no Choas, sneered at her with purple-tinged lips. Galaxia skin dark, the golden shine of the Senshi all gone. Usagi stood naked, nearly alone in the battleground of her past. She focused on the light, on the belief, on the hope that there could still be something good in something so consumed by chaos she'd thought she'd sealed within. The living, breathing form of a Senshi turned to a husk.

Galaxia surged forward sword black as obsidian raised high, and she dodged hitting the concrete ground hard, body dislodging concrete debris. She could feel the gravel in her palms, and down her side where she slid. She couldn't stop to care and pushed herself into a roll looking up into a dark sky poisoned by the evil in it.

Red almost curious eyes loomed over her. It was Galaxia, it was Beryl, it was Metalia, it was Dark Lady, it was Wiseman and Nehelenia. All of them, staring at her, watching her. She could hear the voices of Fighter, Maker, and Healer, alternating between fighting and telling her to get up, that she could do this, that she must fight, that they believed.

And she tried to call for The Light. The warmth inside her that settled in the breast, as familiar as her own heartbeat, steady strong. She tried to pull it forth.

Nothing happened.

"What will you do without your light?" It sneered, laughing. Black lighting struck behind her.

Then blade came down towards her chest.

"USAKO" Mamoru's voice was commanding, not reassuring as her eyes flew open and she let out the scream that she likely would have made if she really had been impaled.

Her Crescent Moon birthmark briefly blared in the middle of her forehead before vanishing and she took panicked gulping breaths wildly looking around the bedroom. Her mom was biting her lip in the doorway, Sailor Neptune was in the corner with this look of sympathy or pity that she absolutely hated seeing from Neptune, and Mamoru was on his knees right in front of her holding her face trying to reassure her. Luna had pressed herself against her leg.

Usagi burst into tears falling into his chest with a mournful wail and he rocked her for a few minutes.

"I...I…failed all of you, I didn't do the one thing I am always supposed to do, the one thing, Mamoru how can..."

"Usagi-chan." It was the reassuring voice of her mother, the exact tone she always used to calm her "Why don't I make you some hot chocolate, and we go downstairs where there's a bit more room okay? And we can talk?"

"Really? I'd...I'd...like that momma." She gave a big sniff to sort of calm down arms still awkwardly holding Mamoru.

"I know what cheers up my girl. Come on, dear."

They'd moved back down to the living room. Michiru,still transformed as Sailor Neptune, was standing in the corner trying to be unobtrusive.

"Here." Ikuko handed her an oversized mug of hot chocolate, prepped with a copious amount of whip cream and rainbow sprinkles.

"Mom, have I told you that you are the best recently?"

"Anything for my superhero daughter."

Usagi snorted, before taking a sip getting a little bit of whip cream on her nose.

"Honey, your nose."

Michiru smiled and Usagi gave her a look. "You should sit down too you know, there is no reason to stand there all soldier like."

Michiru looked around the living room "I apologize, but due to the circumstances…"

"I'm fine!"

"You're _defenseless._"

Usagi opened her mouth to protest when she was interrupted "Girls! You will not fight in my house. Sailor Neptune, please sit. This is my home." Ikuko admonished.

Michiru eyes widened, but she nodded tucking a loose piece of aqua hair behind her ear instead of responding. She walked gracefully across the room to an empty chair, that gave her a clear view of the front door.

Usagi took another sip of her hot chocolate, and a deep breath before commenting "I'm ready to talk, now."

Luna looked up from her seat beside Usagi gazing at her with curious eyes. Usagi pat her on the head with her free hand and a nod.

"Let me get your father. What about your brother?"

Usagi shrugged, "He should get the story too I guess."

They returned and settled, the living room crowded between Usagi's family, Mamoru and Michiru.

Usagi look a slow purposeful deep breath before speaking, calming her thoughts. Mamoru squeezed her hand.

"I know I've been unconscious, and you've slowly been meeting everyone. I'd like to formally introduce you to Michiru Kaioh, or Sailor Neptune."

"Nice to meet all of you." Michiru gave a curt nod.

"The Violinist." Ikuko stated.

Usagi smiled "It is one of her many artistic talents. She's a great person. She goes-"

"Usagi, " Michiru gently reprimanded. "I think your family would rather hear about you, they've been very gracious while you were resting."

"Well, if I forget anything will you add? You too Luna."

"How will-"

"I guess that's a great place to start as any. Meet Luna, Official Advisor to the Court of the Silver Millennium, and therefore me, great friend and household pet."

"I am no one's pet, Usagi. And Clearly, I talk."Luna stared at the panicked, confused expressions, the way any cat does at normal human behavior, and allowed them to stutter. Usagi secretly thought that Luna immensely enjoyed this, but also wanted more people to talk to.

"Luna's...she's been with me since the beginning...she…" Usagi looked at the cat trying to put something into words, "Luna has been a mentor and a friend when no one around could know...including you. And...I wanted...I wanted to tell you so bad, I wanted...Mom?"

Mamoru placed his hands around her shoulder's giving her a squeeze.

"Honey, we're here, we know- it's okay...even if I _can't wrap my head around it._"

"I can't either. Its been years- and it just seems like a long dream I can't get out of, and one day I'll wake up and be 14 and go to school and none of this would be real…"

"Usako, why don't you start at the beginning? With the moon kingdom, okay? We can go from there…"

"It's complicated and way bigger than you understand. I've had years and sometimes _I_ don't think it is real." Usagi glanced at Luna, before placing a hand on Mamoru's own.

She gave a soft sigh, he was always her rock.

Ikuko placed a hand on Kenji's knee. "We'll do our best, dear"

"So, this all started a long time ago in an ancient civilization called the Moon Kingdom. All nine planets were inhabited. It was a time of peace until it wasn't."

"What happened?"

"Long story really short, we all died." Usagi's voice wavered in nervousness, the dream of Glaxia fresh on her mind, the terror of losing everyone. She focused on Mamoru's warm hand, on his steady presence. He was here, they were here, she told herself. "The only planet that survived was Earth. The Queen in her last moments sealed the evil that killed us off and sent the solar system's nine guardians to be reborn, and her daughter on Earth to reawaken in a time of great need. Eventually, we were reborn."

"You are the Queen's daughter. That's why that guy was talking about you being a princess? And the Silver Crystal?"

"_Was_. I'm your child now." There wasn't quite a defiant tone to Usagi's voice, but one of '_this is who I am now; this is who I want to be.'_

"But, the Sailor Senshi and Ou still call you a princess?"

Usagi intentionally left the part out of Setsuna calling her queen. "Yes. Along with being reincarnated, we still have control over the power of the planets. I'm from the moon, so I get moon powers, I guess."

"Usagi, you could be doing such a better job at explaining this." Luna admonished.

"Well, you do it then." Usagi snapped with a glare, before feeling gentle pressure against her back.

Luna gave a sigh and a slight roll of her eyes before continuing. "Usagi, she's very important. She has the ability to use and is destined to take care of a very powerful object called the Imperial Silver Crystal. It has been handed down the royal line for a very long time, and when the Queen Serenity passed, it became hers to control. It is used to protect the world from evil. When Ou Hibiki took the brooch, he took the Crystal, which is why we are very worried right now."

"It is also why I get an armed guard because, without the crystal, I cannot become Sailor Moon."

"She doesn't look very armed," Shingo commented eyes lingering a little too long near the hem of Neptune's very short skirt.

"When she throws a literal tsunami in your face, you would think very very differently. And Shingo, she's got a girlfriend." Usagi gave him a glare.

Shingo's face turned beat red and he turned away quickly.

"So, I'm trying to understand. Why is Ou Hibiki saying you are going to rule the world? Or that you are a princess when the kingdom doesn't exist anymore? Why is he saying you are hurting the human race? What does he want?"

"Well, he wants it for himself, primarily, and to rule instead? I..." She looked at Mamoru, questioningly.

"He's a TV host, Usagi. He's been all over the media. Ou Hibiki, he was exiled after a failed coup, of the Moon Kingdom. He managed to survive and come to Earth eventually. That's all we really know at the moment."

There was a knock at the door, which Michiru answered in record time.

Her counterpart and personal partner, Sailor Uranus stood at the door with a bit of a grin.

"Shift change."

She stepped into the house, and saw Usagi on the couch. "Hey Kitten, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, but still insisting this is absolutely unnecessary."

"You wouldn't be thinking that if we hadn't scared the press away."

"I'm not sure how much of that was necessary, I heard you all caused quite a scene."

Haruka shrugged. "A little earthquake never hurt anyone in this city."

"You didn't."

"Plausible deniability."

"Mom, Dad, let me introduce you to the _insufferable_ Haruka Tenoh."

"The race car driver?" Shingo asked, "Usagi, are all your friends rich and famous?"

Haruka just winked. "I'd say I was well known until Ondago here went broadcast she's the city's most famous superhero." Haruka took Michiru's seat.

"That wasn't on purpose!" Usagi defended; before feeling another squeeze to her hand, as she stood up.

"We know that it is not your fault. Besides, everyone was going to know sooner or later, your highness." Haruka replied with a sort of jovial exaggerated bow.

Something inside Usagi snapped. "Don't you start! It is completely off limits. I'm tired of being referred to someone who died however long ago, and between Luna, Setsuna, YOU and this Ou character and maybe the whole goddamn world I want SOMEONE to just call me USAGI."

Haruka bristled at Usagi's anger, but Michiru placed a hand on her shoulder before she could respond. Usagi took that moment to continue, starting to pace and moving out from Mamoru's comforting touches, her fists balled tight.

"I have had a few very bad days, I'm trying to tell my family my whole secret identity history and you come in all calm and sauve and call me your highness and tease me like everything's the same. Guess what, Tenoh, it's _not_. It's _not_ the same, and if you don't think I don't _know_ that, then you're…" Usagi shook her head. "Look, I don't even have the crystal anymore, everyone is trying to guard me like I'm important, and the truth is I'm an abysmal failure locked in some weird destiny bullshit that I don't want or understand!"

Luna reached up, placing her paws on Usagi's shins, and she looked down. "What?"

"Breathe Usagi-chan." Luna stated softly.

Usagi wiped the tears that had come to her eyes. Before looking at her family. "I'm sorry, I'm so emotional right now. Where were we?"

"Usagi, this has waited a long time to come out, we can wait a few more days to get more detail okay?"

"Thank you, Momma." She sat back down on the couch, relieved, yet Mamoru could feel within her tense body she felt defeated in some way. Usagi looked at the two Outers, settling on Haruka "I know that look, there is something you want to say to me."

A tense silence ensued as Usagi could see Haruka really gather her thoughts.

"Yes, there is." Replied Haruka who stood again, taking a few steps towards her.

Haruka gently took Usagi's hands in hers.

"I'm sorry."

Usagi stared at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry, _Usagi."_

"I...I don't..._What_?" Usagi stammered, not actually having heard Haruka apologize in recent memory.

"I am sorry. You're right. You've been dealing with so much in the past few days; years even. You have an incredible amount of pressure on you every day and when push comes to shove, you battle with the grace and strength of not only a real hero, but a benevolent ruler." Haruka's held up her hand to calm Usagi's protests. "With that all said, it's only normal that you wish to simply be yourself in a world that clearly wants you to be someone else...And that goes for us too. It's not that we want you to be someone other than yourself, Usagi, but we see, we know, we understand, we've been graced with the experiences of the potential that you're so very much destined for...Well, we just don't want to see that opportunity go by. We aren't saying that you're not good enough as you are now…"

"No, you're only saying I have a damn destiny and that if I….screw it up now, then what? Huh?"

"I'm sorry. And you're right. You should be free to make your own choices. I...I honestly don't know how I still ended up being Sailor Uranus, considering some of the choices I made."

"What do you mean?" Usagi's curious voice asked.

Haruka gave a soft smile towards Michiru.

"You know Haruka...She railed, and railed _hard_ against her destiny."

"H-how so?" Usagi wasn't sure she could fathom Haruka _not_ wanting to be Sailor Uranus.

"I avoided it."

"_You? _Avoid a challenge?"

"Yes. I actually avoided something that challenged me, and everything I knew about myself. And you wanna know what happened?"

She nodded.

"I was miserable."

"Why….Why _didn't_ you want to be Uranus?"

"Two simple reasons really. I was scared and I didn't have anything to believe in...I didn't have hope."

Usagi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But...Michiru…"

"Oh, she helped and gave me the foundation I so desperately needed, yes. That goes without saying, and I owe her my life. She gave me my foundation and the building blocks, as well as love."

"What does that have _anything_ to do with me?"

"Don't you see Usagi? You are literally _everything_ else that is the embodiment of _hope_. You're-"

Usagi shook her head vehemently. "No, no, no no...You've got it all wrong. Sure I was part of an ancient kingdom, defied the rules and, let's not forget and a good amount responsible for _destroying_ that kingdom; in part now having to deal with a little more than half-crazed psychopath whose only crime was attempting a coup, but he fought for what he truly believed in, which the Queen believed him not at all...But me? All I am is a naive twenty-year old, who still daydreams, and has zero-"

"Oh for fuck's sake Usagi, would you stop it?! Stop it and _listen_!" Michiru snapped.

A pin-drop could be heard. Even Haruka raised her eyebrows towards Michiru, who exhaled a deep sigh "I'm just so _tired_ of the self-deprecation. Believe in yourself, for two damn seconds, with or without the crystal. You _are_ capable of all that you do. The only thing the Crystal did, magic aside, was awakened you to that. Look at what you've done so far at the Senator's office."

Michiru became acutely aware of her words, her tone, and the look on Usagi's face. With a cough, she excused herself briefly to the kitchen.

"I-"

"Don't be sorry, Kitten. Just listen." Haruka continued with a much calmer, softer tone. "As I was saying, you are the embodiment of hope. It's not anything you can work at, it just _is_. It radiates off of you, whether you like it or not, or are aware of it or not. You bring people together. Think about it, would all of us misfits ever run in the same circles? What is the one thing we all have in common? _You_."

Usagi blushed, but grimaced, as she didn't like this 'center of attention/center of everyone' aspect.

Haruka smirked. "Yeah I know you don't like it, but it's how it is. Most of us probably wouldn't have been friends. Ami would be locked in a computer lab (or the ER), Rei her temple, Makoto...If she didn't get kicked out of school, goodness knows if she'd wind up in a bakery, Mina probably still in London, even with her powers as Sailor V and Artemis, Michiru and I would be goodness knows where in the world, Setsuna...Probably forever doomed to the Time Gates, and Hotaru...Well she may never have shown up. We were all brought together because of you."

"What made you embrace being Sailor Uranus?" Usagi countered, trying not to let herself be phased by the older woman's words. She was both trying to take the attention off of herself, and redirect Haruka back to her original point.

"You."

"Now you're lying."

Haruka glared. "No. I'm not. Michiru gave me my foundation; gave me love, but you have me hope; you gave me purpose."

"Because I needed to be saved, _again_..."

"No, Usagi. Again, _not_ because you needed anything, but because the rest of us did."

"I still don't-"

"The rest of us needed you in our lives to fill a void we cannot easily explain. I can't speak for Michiru, or Setsuna, I've explained me. Hotaru...Needed that big-sister type. Someone to look up to. To know she wasn't alone in how scared she felt; that she wasn't a monster or to be shunned. Ami needed so desperately for a friend, as did Makoto, but for vastly different reasons. Ami needed someone to see beyond the book smarts, to see that there was someone there who truly had a lot to give and just needed a push in the confidence direction. Makoto needed someone to see past that beyond rough exterior of disappointment, pain, and angry-fighter reputation. Mina needed someone to see she wasn't just a pretty face but had her own insecurities, and Rei, while sure she could be taken down a peg or two, needed someone who would go toe to toe with her, with her typically strong opinions and convictions."

"All Rei and I do is bicker over stupid stuff."

"And she needs that, trust me. It sounds trivial sure, but Rei needs someone to challenge her too."

"Sure, whatever you say."

"And the best part is, you didn't even need the silver crystal to do any of that. That was quintessentially Tsukino, Usagi."

"Yet because I have this source of power that is the Silver Crystal, you all treat me like i'm _fragile_!"

"Fragile, no. Vulnerable, hell yes."

"There's a difference?"

"You're right, there is. And we know what could happen if that Silver Crystal end up in the wrong hands like it is; even if we don't believe he will use it in the way our past enemies have attempted to use it. But it _does_ make you vulnerable, and unsafe because you're the only one who can stop him. Yes, you have added power when we all combine our powers, but you alone are capable of defeating him, no matter what way that's supposed to mean."

"It still doesn't tell me _why_ you embraced being Uranus. And no, _I don't count._"

Haruka rolled her eyes, with a sigh and glanced at a much more composed Michiru who quietly slipped back into the room.

"But you _are._ Michiru and I, all we saw, all we could feel was the end. The silence. And, we fought against it, we tried to prevent it, were willing to kill for it, and you stood between us and it, and when it came you walked up into that darkness, the darkness we weren't willing to look past, we couldn't see it Usagi. We couldn't see what you could see. And you came back. With a baby, with our family. I don't understand it, but I have hope and I know you see more than we ever will be able to. And that's when I really became Sailor Uranus. That's when things made sense and I had purpose and I wasn't running anymore."

Tears had sprung to Usagi's "Haruka… I..."

"Usagi-chan, don't cry…" Michiru took the girl by her shoulders, "It has been a rough couple days, why don't you and Mamoru go upstairs to talk for a little while?"

Usagi nodded wordlessly and in a tiny voice she whispered, "I just...I..just...don't believe it."

"I know, but we do." Michiru ushered her over to Mamoru with a nod.

* * *

Please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here is the next chapter- I really really love the first scene and I hope you love it too. I've been coming to a part in this story where I feel sort of conflicted about its style, every scene thus far Usagi has been present, I've been careful to have her physically there (so last chapter she was unconscious). There are some scenes that I want to do that she's NOT part of, as it expands more into the second part of this story- but stylistically I'm struggling. Anyway, it required some significant rewrites of my plan so finally, this is ready to go. Your feedback does inspire me to keep going. Thank you, all of you who have been reviewing and supporting and encouraging this fic along.

* * *

There was a furious knock at her apartment door.

Mamoru had jumped out of bed first, it had been their first night back in the apartment, and the knock happened again, loud, clear and echoing through the apartment. Usagi was right behind him, wide eyes in pink pajamas, and Mamoru gestured for her to be quiet as he crossed the living room. With a look out of the peephole, he flung open the door to reveal and impatient Rei with glaring eyes on the other side. Rei without missing a beat looked around him to Usagi with barely an acknowledgment.

"Hey - Get ready to go to work."

"I…" Usagi looked at her from the other side of the apartment. "Why?"

Rei fished her phone out of her pocket and flashed it at the both of them. "He keeps asking about you and it's pissing me off, so we're going. "

"Senator Hino?"

"Yes."

"Have-Rei?"

"Look, he wants you and he's getting sailor mars and fire up his ass because somebody's got to be with you, and if he wants this dog and pony show it's going to be ON FIRE."

"Rei, I don't think-"

Mamoru cleared his throat, "Rei, come into the apartment and take a seat."

Rei looked at him then and paused briefly. "Fine." She huffed, taking off her shoes at the door and sitting on the couch.

"I'm...I'm going to get dressed." Usagi disappeared back into the bedroom.

"Coffee, water?" Mamoru offered politely.

"No thank you."

Rei tapped her feet impatiently, and Mamoru paused, trying to figure out what he should say or do at the agitated Senshi who could barely sit in her seat.

"Rei, this isn't like you."

"Like hell, it isn't."

"What did he _say?"_

"Nothing! Absolutely fucking nothing okay? He finds out I'm sailor mars and asks about Tsukino Usagi. And, under no uncertain terms, this is _mine_ and he can't have it. He can't have her, he can't parade around pretending to be interested in us, to be famous with his superhero daughter and also _ignore everything about me_."

Mamoru had never done well with people expressing emotion, even if he could feel it, and it was radiating off Hino Rei on every level. He just stayed still and quiet, looking towards the closed bedroom door to wait out Usagi who might actually know what to do.

She didn't come at that moment.

Rei huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back with a sigh. "Sorry. I know better." She took a few deep breaths and Mamoru could feel her control click back into place on her own. "I just…"

Mamoru handed her a glass of water anyway. "I know it's not worth much, but, I'm sorry Rei."

"I'm not looking for sympathy, I just want righteous anger right now okay?"

"I can come to hold him if you want, then."

She had a bit of a smile then shook her head, "I...I want to do this myself."

"Rei-chan." Usagi's voice was quiet, the soft caring way she got when she was _worried_ and plopped right next to Rei. She gave her a hug for a moment, before speaking, and Rei interrupted her. "He wants to use your identity as some political tool and I won't have it."

"That isn't what this is about and you and I both know it, Rei. We can go, you and I, but you have to promise me something okay?"

"What?"

"You tell him the truth- that this is about how he treats _you_. I'm not a part of that. Regardless of what he's trying to do."

Rei took a sharp intake of breath and looked away from the blue eyes that spoke compassion and truth, Usagi's hands fluttered with soft touch, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

After a few moments, Rei squared her shoulders and said with resolve "Okay."

Usagi had used the disguise pen, and Rei had followed her via rooftop as Sailor Mars, until the front door of the office front that held the Senator when he was in his district.

At the door, Usagi let go of the shimmer that allowed the world around her to see her as another anonymous Tokyoite- and entered the front door.

Mars flanked right behind her.

Usagi looked at the empty waiting room as the chime of the door rang.

"Where's his…"

A Man poked his head around the corner and stopped eyes wide.

Usagi shook her head. "It's this way. Come on." She brushed past him without a word.

Usagi ignored the stares of her coworkers, her focus was on getting this over with, and it felt sort of like battle in that way. And right now she couldn't fight- so she'd take whatever she could get and besides _months_ of belittling had made this moment a little bit more worth it.

_Just a little._

Senator Hino was sitting at his desk, overlooking paperwork ignoring the office around him as Sailor Mars marched up and flung open his door.

He looked up, wide-eyed, mouth half hung open.

He looked at her, and at Tsukino Usagi standing by a cubical watching the ordeal unfold as unobtrusively as possible.

"You brought her."

Rei flung his work desk against the wall with one hand.

He backed up then, and all his focus was on his daughter.

"She's here to stop me from killing you."

He swallowed, out of room to create more space. He reached for his dark leather chair like some sort of barrier, and Rei just shook her head.

He looked small, pathetic really. Another Japanese businessman out of hundreds of thousands of businessmen, as Mars she had faced looming monsters and evil queens, soldiers of the galaxy, creatures corrupted by chaos itself. And this man was a greying thin man in a business suit, clinging to an overstuffed leather chair.

And, suddenly, maybe for the first time, he seemed so utterly _human a_nd Rei had no fucking idea what she was doing there.

She stared him down as he cowered behind the chair. "Why do you want her?" She finally asked, voice softer than she'd expected, her white-gloved hands dropping from tight fists.

He paused and furrowed his brow as if trying to quantify something he didn't quite understand himself, glancing over at the blonde watching intently through the glass window.

"She knows something about people- something that doesn't come from work or skill, it's just…"

"I see it too. And it is the only thing we have in common. I am her guardian, and I will not stand for you to hurt someone so precious, someone, more important than your own daughter - do you understand?"

He nodded, fervently, hands gripping the chair so hard he may have ruined the leather.

Rei paused. "She wants me to let you know that I care what you think. I want you to see me. And the truth is, this morning I did. But now, seeing you, being here. I can't. I can't let you dictate anything about me, because when the end of Tokyo comes, your name will mean nothing. And I have some satisfaction in that."

"How-"

"When I got her this job, when I asked you to take my friend, I was allowed to see a moment and I didn't understand it until just now."

"What is that?"

"When people say my name, I am not the Daughter of Senator Hino, you are the father of Sailor Mars."

And she walked out.

Usagi wide-eyed followed Sailor Mars, with a little whisper that she'd be back to work tomorrow.

Rei had stayed at Usagi's apartment until about noon when Hotaru had shown up. The agreement for the day was that she'd stay until Mamoru returned home from his hospital shift, his first day back on the job after begging for his shifts to be covered due to, well everything.

And he showed up early, near 1 pm. He Mamoru entered his own apartment quietly, closing the door behind him. Sailor Saturn, glave and all stood near the genkan, looking at him questionably. He'd seen the moment she'd transitioned from threat to a friend, and she smiled with a little nod to him. He shrugged to her apologetically.

He knew the teleportation had really startled them all, though none had talked to Usagi about it. Seeing her on that tower flying with Ou, and then gone as she fell over the edge. Those moments of trying to coordinate her location, the sheer panic that anything could be happening- those were incredibly hard moments. None of them wanted to relive that panic, and the procedure was clear: do not let her out of their sight and stay transformed. They weren't going to give him the upper hand.

Usagi bolted around Sailor Saturn her and leaped at him.

"I didn't know you were coming for lunch Mamo-chan, don't scare Hotaru like that next time...I already ate but I'm-"

He didn't smile, as she gushed even though Usagi was being utterly energetic-adorable and so excited to see him, and it normally made his heart fluttered. Sailor Saturn, stood in the exact same position watching with a wry smile, used to displays of affection from her family/peers.

Usagi looked up at him, really looked at his expression and stepped back sort of panicked.

"Mamo-chan what's wrong, did something happen?" Those questioning blue eyes were wide and so beautiful and it hurt to look at them.

"Yeah." He said curtly, grimacing. "There's a problem."

"Mamo-chan?" She asked again, her voice quieter, as she touched his arms, trying to figure out what was going on.

He ran his hand through his hair, shifting his feet. He found he couldn't look her in the eyes "I lost my job, Usako."

"What? But...you're a _doctor." _

"I _was_ a resident. Now I'm not."

He could barely recognize his own emotions, but hers were clear, brief disbelief morphing into feelings strong and defined. Surprise, fear, concern, sadness, all radiating off of her. Usagi felt things to her core and it was overwhelming as she could often be, but worse because his feelings were on the cusp of being.

"_Why?" _Her eyes were wide and blue and full of tears, and Mamoru wanted to say anything but that her identity had been tied with him.

His eyes must have betrayed him because she stepped back. "It's because of me...your _dreams_."

"Usako, don't you cry." The reality really hadn't hit him yet, honestly. He'd been seeing a patient, then pulled away. There was some papers handed to him, a brief explanation and escorted out the door by security as if that really made any difference. He'd compiled and just wanted to see her. He didn't know really what it meant, but that he needed to tell her. And Ami, he'd seen Ami and knew the same had happened to her- just moments after.

She touched his face gently, trying to look into him, draw out the emotion that hadn't made its way through his system. He shook his head. "It's okay. We'll figure it out. We always do." He assured her.

"No. _This_ is everything you ever worked for! I can't...I can't…"

"You will. It is okay, really."

"What can I do?"

He kissed her forehead and pulled her close. "All my dreams came true the day I met you, Usako. Everything else is just a bonus. Don't worry so much okay?"

"It is unfair! It isn't your fault, it is everything you've worked so hard for…"

"We _knew_ I wasn't going to be a doctor forever."

"But you were going to be a doctor for a little while at least, you're not even done! All that work..."

"It has always been a risk I was willing to take."

"I wasn't! I'm not! I'm…"

"Usagi-chan." Hotaru carefully grabbed her by the shoulder and pulling her back a little bit. "Let Mamoru-san think for a minute okay? Its big news for him too."

She looked at the dark-haired girl, who stood about her height, in her purple and white Senshi uniform. Her grip was a little tight, probably because she was transformed.

"Hotaru...I...did I ruin our lives? All of them?"

"No!" Mamoru and Saturn said simultaneously.

"You have got to get that out of your head. You have unquestionably, saved everyone's life, more than once. Including my own." Hotaru's voice was a firm command.

"What does that matter when the people most important to me suffer?"

"Because when I'm with you, I cannot suffer. It's impossible."

Usagi rolled her eyes, still crying, "You are a dork." She pushed him lightly.

"But you love me, license to practice or no."

"I..just...I feel like I'm taking everything from you!"

"Usagi, I want you to remember something. Remember, a long time ago, I was a Prince. OF THIS Planet. In fact, as this is my planet, you falling in love with me impacted YOU way more. You, not me, you lost everything."

She glared. "You did not just flip all my concerns back onto myself. I'm talking about the present!"

"And I'm talking about the big picture."

"Well, when I'm Queen, I'm going to give you your job back!"

"Just imagine how my supervisors going to feel for firing me when I'm King okay? That will be enough revenge. He already feels bad about it, I could tell."

She tapped her foot looking around the apartment. "What...what are we going to tell my dad?"

Mamoru laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. He shrugged. "We just tell him I'm rich."

* * *

That evening there was a meeting in the temple. When Usagi and Mamoru arrived, the Inner girls were gathered around Ami, telling her it would be okay. She could see the backs of Makoto, Minako, and Rei, long hair in their respective normal styles. Usagi could barely see Ami through the other girls, but the bloodshot red eyes of the bluenette and how she looked down just broke her heart and Usagi looked at Mamoru with a frown from the top of the tan temple steps.

"It's not your fault." He said to her again, and she shook her head without response.

Ami noticed them before she'd gone over, and she stepped between Minako and Rei wiping her eyes and looking at Mamoru. "Mamoru-san, how are _you_ doing? Did you?"

"Yeah, I was fired. Though for separate reasons. I knew the moment I made that decision to use my magic- one day it would come to this. If I knew you would too- I..." He paused before continuing explaining himself, "I healed kids who were terminal. If I didn't they would have died- and I wouldn't, I couldn't look parents in the face and tell them I couldn't save their kids. I wouldn't feel that type of pain from them, when I very well knew I heal it, I could take that condition away. So I did."

Everyone looked at him wide-eyed in his honesty- and he could feel some warm admiration radiate off Usagi, who he'd never actually told before this moment. He hadn't told anyone. Ever. He just had done it- he couldn't _not do it._

"Mamoru san, that sort of magic output is dangerous, even for you with the golden crystal. You have to have heard me lecture Usagi-" Luna started

"I'm not Usagi." He interrupted, "I'm fine. You never even noticed. I was _incredibly_ careful."

"Still, that sort of use…"

"Saved lives."

Artemis headbutted Luna, in the way he did to get her to stop talking, and Luna's tail flicked at the both of them before she stalked off between Ami's legs. "Ami, why were you let go?"

"I cannot say I've ever done things by the book when unobserved and people's lives were at stake. If I could use it and it would be effective and I thought I could get away with it- I did it. They ran the statistical averages of our care, Mamoru-san. The number of adverse events, deaths, all of those things were so much lower than the other staff to not be otherworldly. Once they knew- they had to let us go. " She got tearful again, "I just...I just didn't think it would…" The girls gathered into a large group hug around her with coos and pats on her back.

"Ami, I'm sure that there are many people who are very thankful for your work."

"Yeah, thanks...but, we're not here to talk about us are we?"

"Right. The girls took their seated positions around the Rei's low table, Mamoru sitting next to Usagi as they shifted gears to the actual business of the hour - the fact that the silver crystal was still missing.

Usagi looked at the floor, playing with the hem of her pink shirt.

"So- any leads?"

Minako looked at everyone. "So, here's what we know. Ou is still making news appearances, and he doesn't have the crystal with him, and confronting him doesn't seem to work because he disappears, and 99% of the time when we know where he's at its broadcasted and that means that our confrontations are being filmed and it's not going well. He's manipulating that footage, and whatever he can find he's trying to paint us as selfish and uncaring."

Ami added, "I've been trying to track the teleports, and for some reason, I can tell a few seconds he's going to, but I haven't pinpointed a destination. It took months with the Dark Kingdom to be able to do that, and I just don't have enough data."

"There have been no monsters, no city destruction, nothing to fight- it's maddening. Just this media mess and everyone knowing who we are"

Rei sighed "The great fire shows snow? So I'm not sure what that's about…"

"Wait for what?"

\

Rei shrugged "The visions are not particularly specific, and I spoke to Michiru earlier today and she's getting similar vague premonitions in the mirror."

"Didn't...didn't Chibi Usa say something about a great freeze?" Usagi asked. "I…"

They all looked at each other and shrugged. "It was nothing more than that. Setsuna isn't telling, of course." Rei stated, "I'll keep asking and if something changes or I get other hints, you will know."

Ami started speaking again, although her visor was now across her face "So, energy frequency wise, he hasn't tried to use the silver crystal either. Which is good for us, but I'm getting more concerned that he has a very particular plan for its use- and that it's vulnerable to outside sources…"

"Chaos." Usagi stated quietly, "Chaos can come back at any moment and snatch it away- Ou wouldn't stand a moment's chance against it."

They looked at her- and if anyone knew what chaos could do, or when it would be Usagi. "Do you think…"

"Nothing can contain Chaos, Galaxia learned that the hard way- and I...but if Chaos ever gets ahold of that crystal- we will all perish, this world will cease to exist. I don't care that Ou has the crystal, I care that he doesn't know how to use it or protect it. And we've spent lifetimes learning that, for better or worse."

"So, you don't think Ou is a danger, as much as something else taking Ou's place."

"I don't _know_. But he's open to that sort of dark influence, and if he became a part of it-"

"Look, we _can't_ focus on that," Minako stated. "That's, that's the worst-case scenario, zombie apocalypse talk and right now we aren't there. If we get there, we'll figure that out or die trying. But right now we are at television host has the crystal and we need to find him and get it back. So let's stay focused."

"Sorry," Usagi mumbled, and Mamoru squeezed her shoulder.

Minako looked at her with a sympathetic smile, "I just...It is not that it shouldn't be brought up, but Chaos is the thing we can't really plan for or strategize against. We just deal with it when it gets here. This- we can do right now."

"All I can do is _worry_."

"Girls- Ou Hibiki-" Artemis stated.

"Is there a reason we can't tie him up to something and just beat the shit out of him?" Makoto asked. "Like, just grab him and go?"

"No- I mean that's really not our style and I don't want it to be, though Haruka would be on board." Minako conceded, "But, If we could keep him from teleporting, we would have significant advantages, and at least we could confront him."

"Great, How do we do that?"

Ami held up her hand…"I'm getting...data, that is concerning, Rei what you said earlier. I'm sorry to jump but this is important."

"What's going on?" Rei asked.

"There isn't enough data yet...but...it is getting colder. Worldwide. Not enough to even really notice, but...something's changed….I'm going to have to deal with that. And… of course -I'll try to figure out a way to keep him from teleporting...but Usagi- could you have been keeping it warm?"

"How would I even know?"

"Sorry, wrong question. Really the Silver Crystal has been a part of this solar system since its birth- I'm...I'm going to have to look into this more…but if he's storing it outside of the system...that would explain why we can't find it..." Her eyes flicked back and forth over data, a concerning frown over her features. She stood up abruptly - "I got to go to the command center- Luna, Artemis, come with me."

The girls looked at each other as Ami almost ran out of the temple.

"I still vote for beating him till he talks.." Makoto offered.

"Right, but right now that would be a public spectacle and it would not look good." Rei added, "He's recording practically everything he does and all he does is talk on TV."

"Guys- what is he even saying? I haven't been able to really watch and…" Usagi trailed back off, still staring at the sliding door Ami had left through.

"Mostly that you're selfish, really. That you're dangerous, and that the people should choose who uses the crystal, who can wield its power."

"But that's not how it works!"

"Yeah- but nobody knows that but us?" Rei stated. "It...he sounds convincing, and some people have...started to talk about it- about an alternative."

"They just can't-"

"Remember what Chibi Usa said about the black moon clan, and the whole Chibi Usa time traveling stuff went down? I'm pretty time and its way far in the future but he's planting seeds and whatever will happen starts now. It's the beginning of a division in philosophy how the power of the silver crystal should be assigned and used."

"Can we get him off the air? Kill broadcast TV or something?"

"Yeah, that would win people over. Look it's not all bad, Naru gave an interview about you to another station and it was kinda cute." Minako added.

"What really? Can I see?" Usagi asked.

"Uh sure, let's pull it up on my tablet." Minako pulled it out of her bag and loaded it up.

Wavvy, reddish brown hair framed the face of the nervous woman who carefully spoke into the microphone, "My name is Osaka, Naru, and I was good friends with Tsukino Usagi aka Sailor Moon. I went to school with most of them, and remain in contact with her to this day."

The audience gasped. Naru sat, one hand curled gently around the microphone, the other in her lap, looking over at the TV announcer who was leaning across his desk with interest.

"Were you aware of her secret?"

"No...I wasn't. She never told me. But...it all makes sense now."

"What is she like?"

"She's...she's this normal girl. It is hard to describe. Everybody's friend. When...when we were fourteen, she was running late, struggled in school, loved boys, was at the arcade all the time. We had so much _fun_ together. Then…"

"What happened?"

"I was attacked. My mother turned into this monster, and Sailor Moon showed up. It...the monsters weren't well known then, they were new. And She defeated it...it was so cool. Like, she was scared and clumsy but so brave and she just won."

But I remember Sailor Moon's eyes, and how she checked on me that day. How she asked me if I was okay and looked me over. And also looked over my mom. She held my hand until emergency services got there, and then just disappeared. I also remember Usagi- kind Usagi. She checked up on me. She walked me home when I was scared for days after. Usagi helped us clean up the OSA-P, our Jewelry Store, repaint walls, fix display cases. She texted me at 2 am when I worried about my mom. My mom was okay, but I worried about her, you know. And she listened. She never said a thing, but she listened."

"What else?"

"The thing about Usagi is she is so compassionate and kind. Not, in big ways like saving all the addicts or something, but in little everyday ways. The way she says hello to everyone in the morning, the way she asks about your day. She remembers your birthday, and to get you little gifts. She also just wants the best for you. She...unites people. People just love her. She is bright, fun, honest and silly."

"And a superhero."

"I can't get my mind around it. I think of Usagi and I think of tears over a skinned knee. And to face those monsters? It doesn't seem true! Because I knew her when she was just a little kid. But, at the same time, I _see_ it."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to describe because at her core Usagi has not changed one bit. She loves with her entire being. But, the way she moves, she turned towards danger. She'd have these low conversations with the other fighters in the hallways, she'd chew her fingernails when she was worried about something. She'd leave things suddenly, and have to apologize. The way she slept during class after what I supposed were long heroic nights. The way she said she was hurt because of her, and Usagi IS clumsy, but...I don't think that was it anymore. But, to me, the amazing heroic part to Usagi is not about what we know about Sailor Moon. Its what I know about Usagi. Its that she's kept in contact with me. Its that she asks me how I'm doing, and she still stops by the store when she's in the neighborhood. Its how she knows my family, my friends, my hopes and dreams and it's important to her. How could I be important to her when everything else was so much bigger?" She shrugged "The most important thing is that Tsukino Usagi cares about people. Normal everyday people when it comes down to it."

The interview clip ended there, and Usagi put down the tablet tears in her eyes "I was a terrible friend to her… and, and...she's still so _nice to me."_

"Usagi- she's being honest...you...people love you." Mamoru placed a hand on the small of her back. "There's a lot out there right now about you- there are tons of people who believe in you. The sooner we deal with Ou, the sooner we can figure out what's next."

She nodded. "So, what am I doing the next few days?"

Minako sighed. "Let's just go on normally until we hear back from Ami- and keep looking for a way to confront him. If somebody comes up with a viable plan we'll review. Meet here in 72 hours."

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